The Rotary Club of Stratford was formed in 1922 with 22 members and has grown to over 100 members today, supporting numerous community initiatives and international projects over the past 100 years. The Club has sponsored other local Rotary clubs and youth programs while fundraising through events to fund projects focused on healthcare, recreation, education, and helping those in need both locally and abroad. The document outlines the Club's history, activities, initiatives, and impact over 100 years of service in the Stratford community and internationally.

1. ROTARY CLUB OF
STRATFORD
100 Years of Building
Community

2. The Rotary club of Stratford is woven into the very fabric of our
community. Many of our community builders have been and still
are Rotary Members. Collectively we have championed positive
change in our community and internationally.

3. 1922
Club formed with 22
members
1947
Club has grown to 88
members and District
Governor is Oliver
Gaffney
1996
Women join the club,
Elizabeth Gaffney and
Linda Bathe are our
first female members
2022
Club has 98 Active and
17 Honorary members
for a total of 115
Rotary Club of Stratford Has
Grown Over the Years

4. Stratford
Rotaract
Mitchell
Festival City
Tavistock
Woodstock
Goderich
Stratford
Interact
The Rotary Club
of Stratford has
sponsored the
creation and
growth of other
Rotary Clubs in
the area
Listowel
St. Marys

5. 1922
YMCA
1982
Kiwanis
Centre
2018
ANAF
2022
Quality Inn
Stratford Rotary Club Meeting
Locations over 100 Years

6. THE FOCUS OF THE CLUB HAS
EXPANDED OVER THE YEARS.
1922 to 2022
• Crippled Children
• Boys Work (Youth
Services as it is
called today)
• Local Recreational
Facilities
• Healthcare Facilities
• International
Community
Development
• Clean Water
• Environment

7. ROTARY CLUB OF STRATFORD
CHARITABLE FOUNDATION
• First established in 1955.
• Enabled the Club to recognize donations through
the issue of tax receipts.
• A separate Board of Directors from the Rotary
Club established for the Foundation in 2020/21.
• In 2020/21, there were 994 tax receipts issued
recognizing people’s contributions to the
Foundation.
• $246,000 of charitable work done in the year.

8. 1923
Halloween
Frolic
1932
Rural Urban
Dinner
1947
Easter Seal
Fundraising
1955
Rotary Hockey
League
Rotary
Foundation
Established
1972
Rotary Student
Exchange
Program
1973
Junior
Achievement
1978
Sports Celebrity
Dinner
Happy Bucks
Introduced
1996
Dragon Boat
Festival
Some Rotary initiatives date back
decades.

9. 2002
Respite House
2006
Aquabox
2007
Scotch Mist
2012
COMMIT
Stratford Home
and Leisure
Show
2017
Short Story
2018
Catch the Ace
2019
Dave Blackburn
Car Rally
Hospice Opens
2020
Mask
Project
Zoom
Meetings
Many new Rotary initiatives
occurred in the past 25 years.

10. These initiatives
and many more
have changed the
map of Stratford
with Rotary
projects all over
town supporting
our citizens and
building our
community.

11. THESE INITIATIVES GROUP INTO
THREE MAJOR CATEGORIES
• Our Club
• Our Community
• International Projects

12. OUR CLUB
Fund Raising while having fun:
• Dragon Boat Festival
• Christmas Craft Show
• Celebrity Reading of A Christmas Carol
• Scotch Mist
• Golf Tournament
• Stratford Home and Leisure Show
• Catch the Ace
• Dave Blackburn Memorial Car Rally
• Weekly Foundation Auction

13. OUR COMMUNITY
This fund raising has allowed us to support:
• Rotary Complex
• Rotary Hospice Stratford Perth
• Stratford General Hospital Mental Health Inpatient Unit
• Secondary School and University of Waterloo Bursaries and Scholarships
• Respite House
• All Wheels Park
• Volleyball Courts at SERC
• Riverbank and Path Renewals around Lake Victoria
• PLOW – Public Library on Wheels
• Interact Club
• Rotaract Club
• Rural Urban Dinner
• The Local Community Food Centre
• House of Blessing
Page 1 of 3

14. OUR COMMUNITY
• We have collaborated with others on projects:
• Upper Thames River Conservation Authority
• Habitat for Humanity
• Northwestern Special Education Friendship Games
• Central High School – OSAID Conference
• Stratford Perth Museum
• Care Partners and Stratford Social Services
• Stratford & Areas Builders Association
• House of Blessing Food Drive
• Special Olympics Baseball Tournament
• United Way Perth-Huron
• Fryfogel Inn Arboretum
• Adopt-A-Highway Program
• NPH Nicaragua Orphanage
Page 2 of 3

15. OUR COMMUNITY
• The club supports many youth focused initiatives:
• Rotary Youth Leadership Training
• Rotary Y – Hockey funding equipment
• Junior Achievement
• The Ottawa Adventures in Citizenship program
• Minor Hockey
• Next Generation exchanges
• Rotary Youth Leadership in Action program
• Secondary School and University of Waterloo Bursaries and
Scholarships
• Honour Student Banquet
Page 3 of 3

16. INTERNATIONAL PROJECTS
• Aquabox
• COMMIT
• Polio Plus
• Wheelchair Project
• Pediatric Solar Panels
• Earthquake Relief
• Pediatric Heart Surgeries
• Addiction Relief Centre
• Change Her World
• School and Health Supplies

17. Come and Join Us!
• Follow us on Social Media
• Facebook, Twitter, Instagram
• Website is rotarystratford.com.
• Be part of our events
• Attend the events
• Be a sponsor at our events.
• Support our sponsors.
• Donate
• From the website or CanadaHelps.org
• Become a member
• Email secretary@rotarystratford.com

18. ROTARY CLUB OF
STRATFORD
100 Years of Building Community
Questions

19. Appendix A: Significant Initiatives by Year
Year Event Year Event Year Event
1905First Rotary Meeting in Chicago 1962Last Rotary sponsored camp held at Camp Kitchigami 1985Nevada Lottery Tickets
1922Organizational Meeting of Stratford Club 1962Seminar for Tomorrows Leaders 1988RCMP Musical Ride Brought to Stratford
1922Charter Night of Stratford Club 1962Goderich Club formed 1989Stratford Inner Wheel Club Established
1922Founding of Ontario Society for Crippled Children (OSCC) 1963Financial Contribution to Safety Patrol Jamboree in Ottawa 1998New Mental Health Wing at SGH ($200,000)
1923Club contributes to OSCC 1964Careers Day at Central High School 1990Careers Day revived at the Coliseum
1923Halloween Frolic starts and continues for 59 years 1965Rotary outdoor rink opens officially 1996Rotary Dragon Boat Festival Started
1924Woodstock Club formed 1965Bell Telephone book delivery for 8 years 2000Environment Committee established
1925Purchase land for Camp Kitchigami 1966Rotary Barbeques in the Park 2000Respite House Established
1925St. Marys club formed 1971Rotary provides $60,000 towards expanding Coliseum 2004Annual Golf Tournament
1927Rotary- Farmers Picnic 1971Interact club first established 2005Rotary pledge to immunize all the world's children for polio
1929St Marys Club operating 1971Parked Cars for Air Show at new airport 2006Aquabox Project Started
1932Rural Urban Dinner 1972Rotary Student Exchange program 2007Scotch Mist
1946Rotary Ann Started 1972Taking tickets for Plowing Match 2012COMMIT program founded
1946Listowel Club formed 1972Dufferin Park $7,000 contribution 2012Stratford Home and Leisure Show assumed in partnership with SABA
1947Rotary handles the Easter Seal Fundraising Program 1973Junior Achievement Club established 2013Hospice Steering Committee established
1951Ottawa Rotary Club Citizenship Project 1973Annual Hockey Tournament Started - 19 years 2016World Festival of Children's Theatre ($10,000)
1950'sEarly involvement with Stratford Festival 1974Halloween moved back to October 31st 2016Stratford-Perth Museum kitchen ($40,000)
1955Rotary Hockey League supported to 1982 1978Sports Celebrity Dinner 2017Hosted first New Generations Youth
1955Rotary Club of Stratford Charitable Foundation 1978Happy Bucks introduced 2017Short Story Contest established
1955Grand Piano Unveiled at Masonic Temple 1981OSCC renamed The Easter Seal Society 2018Catch the Ace
1958Honour Student Dinner 1981Final Folic run 2019Hospice Begins Operation
1960'sStratford Winter Carnival 1984Olde English Parlour January Outing for 3 years 2019Dave Blackburn Memorial Car Rally
1961Rotary Travelogue Series 2020COVID Mask Project
2020Zoom Meetings

20. Appendix B: Example of Rotary Commitments 2016/2017
REQUEST COMMITTEE $16,000 INTERACT $1,000
BLOCK PARENT $750 ROTORACT $1,000
UNITED WAY $1,000 JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT $1,000
LIFESAVER PROGRAM $1,000 STRATFORD SOCCER $5,000
HOSPICE RESEARCH $20,000 AVON SCHOOL $10,000
WORLD CHILDREN’S TH. $10,000 HONOUR STUDENT $2,500
FOOD BANK $9,000 SPECIAL OLYMPICS $1,000
U OF W SCHOLARSHIP $2,500 ENVIRONMENT COM. $2,000
AQUA BOX $5,000 NORTHERN STUDENT $8,000
RESPITE HOUSE $5,000 INTERNATIONAL COM. $20,000
NEW GENERATION $500 LITERACY/R. READS $3,500
ROTARY COMPLEX $9,000 ROTARY HOCKEY $5,100
PROGRAM COMMITTEE $1,400 PROPERTY COMM. $400
TOTAL COMMITMENTS: $141,650
DR. SMITH AWARDS: $28,800

21. Appendix C: Acknowledgements
• Information sourced from:
• Service Above Self – The Rotary Club of Stratford 1922 – 1992 by Dean
Robinson
• Rotary Stratford Website
• Edited by: Charlene Gordon
• Prepared by: Gary Wreford