The Rotary Club of Kitchener (originally called the Rotary Club of Kitchener-Waterloo) was chartered on June 1, 1922 and since that time we have been an active supporter of the City of Kitchener and its residents. Our longest serving activity is with children with special needs.
In 1957 the Cornerstone for the KW Rotary Children’s Centre on King Street across from Grand River Hospital was laid by charter Club member, Lieutenant-Governor Louis Breithaupt and Clay Hall, the President of the Rotary Club of Kitchener-Waterloo (as it was known at that time). The Centre was officially opened March 24th, 1958, with Kitchener Mayor Stanley Leavine and Waterloo Mayor Harold Paikin officiating.
In 1986, the KidsAbility Board began planning for a new Children’s Centre to accommodate growth and increased demand. The Rotary Club of Kitchener pledged $150,000 towards the $6.9 million cost of the new 50,000 square foot building which was officially opened on September 29, 1995 at 500 Hallmark Drive in Waterloo.
Our financial support for KidsAbility continues to this day with an average annual donation of $30,000. Since 1998 our total contribution exceeds $1,500,000.
Although our primary focus was on helping children with special needs our support for the City of Kitchener continued to grow over the years. Highlights include:
- The creation of a Student Loan Fund, and support for the John Howard Society began in 1949-1950 and continued for several years.
- In 1951 we provided support for the Police Boys Sports Association.
- In 1954 the Club embarked on an entirely new venture with the presentation of Grand Opera in the Twin Cities. The purpose was to both serve as a cultural community service and to encourage Canadian talent. La Boheme was presented in Kitchener on March 10th, 1954 and in 1955 Die Fledermaus and La Traviata were presented. These performances were staged at the Auditorium and it became apparent that a hockey arena is not really suitable for this type of musical theatre. In 1965, when Mayor Hymmen formed a feasibility committee to study the need for an arts centre, much was made of Rotary’s attempt to bring this type of entertainment to this area – a forward step leading to the building of The Centre in the Square.
- In 1957 the Club began sponsoring and organizing the annual Central Ontario Horse Show, which operated for over a decade.
- In 1967, in recognition of the countries’ centennial, the Club donated $25,000 to each of St. Mary’s Hospital and the K-W Hospital. Most significant, though, this year, was that the Club spent $75,000 for the purchase of the Pentecostal Tabernacle on Benton Street, which was then rented to the Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery at a cost of $1.00 per year. This act saved the Gallery, previously housed in a bicycle shed behind KW Collegiate, from disappearing altogether and enabled the Gallery to expand in all facets of its operation, and with the installation of air- conditioning it became equipped to handle any type of exhibit. Many Kitchener Rotarians also volunteered to serve terms as Board members, and several held the office of gallery President.
- In 1972, in honour of the Club’s 50th anniversary, the club pledged $50,000 for a community residence for physically disabled adults in Waterloo County.
- In September 1980 President G.D. Phillips represented our Club at the official opening of the Centre In The Square and in 1986 the Club was pleased to support the Art Gallery with a donation of $50,000. In recognition of that support the Gallery named the space the Rotary Gallery.
- In the late 1980’s RI was entering a new age, and Kitchener Rotary was in the vanguard of change. We were the first club in Ontario (second in Canada) to induct two women in Rotary. In 1989 Pat Tallman and Kathi Smith became the first female members of the club.
- In the early 1990’s the Club held a fundraising gourmet dinner at the recently refurbished Langdon Hall that raised $2,000 for the Kitchener Waterloo Hospital.
- In 1994 the Club presented Mayor Dominic Cardillo with an Honourary Paul Harris Fellowship.
- For our 90th anniversary in 2012 we wanted to make a significant contribution to a needy organization in the community and invited proposals. We selected the House of Friendship Women’s Addiction Centre project and awarded them $90,000. We followed this with two hands-on activities building the outdoor patio area for the new women’s shelter on Anne Street.
As we moved into the new millennium the Club’s connection with, and support for, the City grew even stronger. Our Club engaged in a visioning and strategic planning exercise through which we developed the following mission statement:
The Rotary Club of Kitchener is a leading-edge community leader that supports the work of Rotary around the globe with a local, city core, focus on community, families, and children in need.
