The Rotary Club of Auburn NY was chartered on April 12, 1915 and is the third oldest Rotary club in the Central New York area. Throughout all these years, Auburn Rotarians have been active to its community and with international projects to contribute to its rich history.

On April 12, 1915, 45 men became the first club members and they made things happen in the first month of the clubs existence by sponsoring the publication of 17,000 periodicals which were sent to various cities across the country to promote Auburn, its virtues, quality of life and industry. Suffice to say, it was tourism promotion at its finest.

During the next few months club membership doubled as many more influential community men joined the Auburn club. In terms of community service in the first couple of years Auburn Rotarians supplied automobiles for Memorial Day parades so that veterans of the Civil War, the Spanish American War and Mexican Border incident could be honored in these parades. And Auburn Rotarians assisted locally in a variety of civilian war efforts during World War I.

And by 1919, the Auburn Rotary club voted unanimously to acquire lakefront property on Owasco Lake to be used by the Boy Scouts. Named Camp Rotary, it was used by local scouts for more than 90 years until being purchased by the Auburn YMCA to be incorporated into their summer programs for youth.

Over the years, the Rotary Club of Auburn NY continued its focus on community service by establishing a foundation for the purpose of loaning money to high school graduates to attend college. And monies were raised for the purchase of specialized medical equipment to Auburn hospitals.

The list could go on and on regarding the many community projects performed by Auburn Rotarians.

During nearly 110 years of existence the Rotary Club of Auburn NY has utilized many diverse methods to raise funds for its goals. These ranged from  various entertainment options of dances, concerts and symphonies to auctions, smorgasbords, pancake breakfasts, donation drives, blood screening programs, Bon Ton Roulet  transportation services, beer pouring, raffles, golf tournaments, bbq festivals, and so much more!

Today, our passion for community and international projects has not changed. For those of you in the Auburn area interested in learning more or yearn to be part of a committed, passionate community organization, come visit us at one of our weekly Tuesday meetings.