Club History
A bit of OUR CLUB HISTORY
The Rotary Club of Fremont received its charter from Rotary International as Rotary Club No. 2332, dated April 28, 1926. The Club’s original charter is part of Rotary documents and memorabilia at the Hayes Presidential Center.
The Club started with 29 charter members. For over 80 years of continuous service, the Club has grown to nearly 68 men and women of widely varied business and professional classifications. In addition, the Club has produced four District Governors, several Governor’s Representatives, 44 Paul Harris Fellows and Paul Harris Sustaining Members, several District Fellows, 88 Club Presidents and 19 Club Secretaries.
The Fremont Rotary Club operates under its Constitution and Bylaws with a nine person Board of Directors, Officers and a Past Presidents Council. Rotary members serve and support many community boards and volunteers organizations in our city and county. These include various businesses and professional organizations, foundations, churches, schools, parks, recreation groups, clubs and other non-profit organizations.
The Fremont Rotary Foundation, Incorporation was chartered by the State of Ohio on April 29, 1986, 60 years after our Club’s chartered. The Foundation was formed to provide an entity to funnel tax-deductible contributions that will further the principles and precepts of the Rotary Club of Fremont. The foundation received its 501(c)(3) tax-exempt ruling from the Internal Revenue Service on January 28, 1987.
Over the years, Fremont Rotary Club either directly or through Fremont Rotary Foundation, Incorporation has contributed financially to a long list of local projects, charitable and educational groups. Just to name a few: Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Camp Fire, D.A.R.E. of Fremont, YMCA of Sandusky County, Village House, school programs including Fremont City Schools and St. Joseph Central Catholic High School, The Liberty Center of Sandusky County, projects by the City of Fremont, Sandusky County Park District, Memorial Hospital, Hayes Presidential Center and Birchard Public Library, other local charitable and educational group including Habitat for Humanity, Leadership, Sandusky County, Sandusky County Food Pantry, Fremont Soup Kitchen, First Step Intervention Center, and as well as to international projects.
In the past, our Club has helped organize and start several service organizations such as: Camp Yukita, which later became Misty Meadows, and the Crippled Children’s Society, which later became the Easter Seals Society. Once such groups were developed far enough to function on their own, the Club would move on to other projects. In 2001, Fremont Rotary Club celebrated 75th Anniversary by raising $40,000 that helped the city extend the North Coast Inland Trail by 2.2 miles – to be precised it is along the railroad through Walsh Park and Roger Young Park from Biggs-Ketner Park.
Currently our Club’s main focus is on the Youth in our community – sponsoring T-Ball League for 4 to 8 years old under REC Center program, reading to elementary students under Literacy Program, sponsoring high school students to World Community Workshop at Defiance College, mentoring senior high school students under STRIVE Program, recognizing students of the month, providing student scholarships, lastly we sponsor young adults from School of Hope to Summer Camp.
At the same time, we still continue providing hands on services towards Sandusky County Food Pantry collection, Salvation Army Bell Ringing, United Way First Call for Help Community Christmas, Hayes Presidential Center Easter Eggs Hunt for School of Hope. The latest is recognizing local resident as Rotary Person of the Year for exemplifies Rotary spirit. As well as doing good international through MESA and ShelterBox.
Let us raise our glasses to ...
- to our past club members who have given us today.
- to our present fellow members who continue to make our Club relevant to our community.
- to our future ...
Interested in being a sponsor?
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Download the website sponsorship guide