Rotary is an organization of business, professional and like-minded individuals united worldwide who work to provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all endeavors and help to build goodwill and peace in the world.  

 

Rotary had its beginnings in Chicago in 1905 when businessman Paul Harris formed a club with a unique blend of commerce and social consciousness. From neighborhood clubs, Rotary grew to become Rotary International – the world’s firs service club organization, with more than 1.2 million members in 33,000 clubs in 200 countries or geographical locations today.  

 

The Rotary Club of Hamburg was chartered on Feb. 24, 1942 and continues to provide service to our local community through projects such as Farms to Families which addresses food insecurity throughout WNY seven months of the year and Warm the Children, providing brand new warm winter clothing to infants through high school age youth. We also provide annual scholarships to graduating seniors at Hamburg, Frontier and St. Francis High Schools and fund non-profit organizations. The club pays for high school and college-age students to attend Rotary’s RYLA and SLAPSHOT youth leadership programs, the Salvation Army, ECMC Palliative Care, Hamburg High School’s Finance Academy and an annual concert in Memorial Park in support of veterans.  

 

The Rotary Club of Hamburg embraces our Rotary International moto of “Service Above Self” through project support and direct service that we believe makes our community a better place to live and raise a family. The first club project in 1942 provided the Hamburg Volunteer Fire Department with its first emergency rig. Other early projects included sponsorship of a youth baseball team, the Girl Scout Mariners and  the Hamburg Youth Center kitchen facilities and many more. We continue to support Cradle Beach Camp in Angola which serves children with disabilities or economic challenges. We supported the construction of a cupola on the new Hamburg Village Hall in 1967, the expansion of the driver education program at Hamburg High School in the 1960s and the creation and enhancement of the Town of Hamburg’s Rotary I and Rotary II baseball fields at the recreation complex on Lakeview Road. Also, a new transport stretcher for the Hamburg Volunteer Fire Department and for Imagine Hamburg for projects that resulted in a Rotary clock in Hamburg Village Memorial Park and trash receptacles. The club joins Rotary International in the continuing goal to eradicate polio in the world. Our major fundraising event is BurgerFest held the third Saturday of July that is organized along with the Hamburg Sunrise Rotary Club (a spin-off of our club), the Hamburg Lions Club and the Hamburg Kiwanis Club. The BurgerFest is not just the most strategic fundraiser for each club, but also  a service to the community for entertainment and the opportunity for other non-profits and businesses.  

 

The Rotary Club of Hamburg meets the first and third Tuesday of each month at 6:15 p.m. at Uncle Joe’s Diner on Southwestern Boulevard. Anyone who is interested in becoming a member is welcome to join us. More information can be found on this website and on Facebook.