Considered to be the world’s first service club, the Rotary Club of Chicago was founded on February 23, 1905 by Paul P. Harris. The name Rotary comes from the tradition of rotating meetings between members’ offices. By 1915, Rotary clubs were charted across the United States and Canada and by 1921 clubs were established on six continents. In 1922 the organization assumed the name Rotary International to reflect its international composition. The organization’s mission has expanded from serving club members’ interests to serving communities in need. This is represented by their motto: Service above Self. There are more than 1.2 million club members in over 200 countries around the world.
The Rotary Club of Moose Jaw Wakamow (#22175) was charted on October 30, 1984. The club belongs to district 5550, serving northwestern Ontario, Manitoba and Saskatchewan. They support the community in a variety of ways, such as taking care of the Trans-Canada trail, financially supporting incoming and outgoing exchange students, recognizing outstanding local businesses, as well as much more. The organization meets twice a month on Mondays.