Our History

When a gregarious group of twenty persons formed the Rotary Club of Clackamas in July of 1981, little did they imagine that their club would eventually generate more than a million dollars in donations in addition to the numerous hands-on volunteer projects that have invigorated the local community.

Charter members remember the lack of procedural direction in the early days.  For many months they didn’t even know there was someone called a District Governor but learned fast when they were informed that the DG was coming to give them a special award for perfect attendance.  Their innocent but haphazard attendance reporting had been embellished and the secretary had to make urgent calls to the members to make sure they were all there for the award presentation.

Despite the early confusion, Clackamas Rotarians have been helping their community right from the start.  A local event lost $20,000 and organizers couldn’t repay their debt, so early on Rotarians vowed to save them from bankruptcy.  Working for years in a steamy, smoky bingo hall, members called numbers and raised enough money to rest the debt.

One of the earliest events was a December holiday breakfast for underprivileged kids at the Sunnyside Inn.  The children hardly touched their meals as they pressed their noses to the window and saw Santa Claus strapped to the side of a fire engine that was rolling down Sunnyside Road.  Santa then joined the party and distributed gifts to all the children.

And the club has never stopped helping to improve the local scene, with much of the activity concentrated on benefiting our youth.   Two of the most impactful projects involved county parks.

The club’s signature millennial endeavor turned a soggy, swampy playground at Clackamas Elementary School into an irrigated, pristine park that could be enjoyed year-round. Members also constructed a covered picnic structure that became a focal point for the entire neighborhood.

In 2019, the club spearheaded another massive project at Happy Valley Park that created an all-inclusive playground, ensuring that kids of all abilities could participate.

Over the years, the club has been personally involved in extensive service to the community, practicing service above self in various programs that help feed the hungry.  Currently members collect food donations on a regular basis, prepare 100 sack lunches a month for My Father’s Heart, and serve meals at a local church.

Pre-pandemic and hopefully to continue in the future, many members have volunteered one hour a week reading to elementary school children in the SMART Reading program.

The club has awarded numerous college scholarships and has regularly honored students at all the area high schools for their scholarly and volunteer achievements.

One of the most impactful projects has been supplying and installing smoke alarms in mobile home parks.  More than 2,000 smoke alarms have been provided for free and it has been verified that the effort has saved at least one life.

Recently, the club led an effort to build a mobile shower cart that provides showers and hygiene products to the houseless in various locations.

Internationally, the club recently helped raise more than $50,000 and spearheaded the renovation of a dilapidated maternity hospital in The Gambia. Initiated by member and Past District Governor Ed Gronke, this effort has saved lives and created a much more pleasant experience for expectant mothers.

In addition, the club has contributed thousands of dollars toward the Rotary International effort to eradicate polio.

The Clackamas Rotary Foundation, the charitable financial arm of the club, conducts an annual golf tournament that generates substantial funds for club projects.  Members were overjoyed when this event started more than thirty years ago at a small par-three course and made a profit of $1,000, cash and checks off-handedly thrown into a paper sack. It is now a well-organized tournament, held on a prestigious course, that is recognized as one of the most fun and rewarding events in the area.