MEREDITH ROTARY CLUB
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  • Home
  • Club Information
    • Announcements
    • By Laws & Constitution
    • Community Service
    • Scholarship Programs
    • New Members
    • Who We Are
  • Events
    • Ice Fishing Derby >
      • 2021 Fishing Derby Results
      • Past Derby Winners
      • Derby Rules
      • Derby News
      • Eligible Fish
      • Ice Safety
      • Derby Prizes
      • Derby FAQs
      • Buy a Fishing License
      • Hot Tips for Ice Fishing
      • Supporters
    • Senior Christmas Dinner
  • Youth Programs
  • Contact

What is Rotary?

Rotary is a worldwide organization of men and women who are business and professional leaders. Rotary provides humanitarian services, encourages high ethical standards in all vocations, and helps build goodwill and peace in the world. Approximately 1.2 million Rotarians belong to more than 31,000 Rotary clubs located in 166 countries.

The main objective of Rotary is service in the workplace, in the community and throughout the world. Rotarians develop and support community service projects to address needs in their local communities and in the international community. Rotarians sponsor international student exchanges for high school age youth, offer college scholarships for foreign study and provide cross-cultural learning experiences for business and professional persons. Through the Polio Plus Program, Rotary has been a leader in the eradication of Polio worldwide. The Rotary motto is "Service Above Self."

How did Rotary begin?
Rotary is the world's first service club. Paul P. Harris, a young lawyer from Vermont, and three of his friends started the Rotary movement in Chicago in February of 1905. The group wanted to recapture the friendly spirit that they had experienced in the small towns they grew up in and had lost in the bigger city. Their weekly meetings "rotated" among their offices, hence the name that would become internationally known.The Meredith Rotary Club was chartered on April 5, 1928 in Meredith, New Hampshire.

How do I Join the Meredith Rotary?
Contact a club member by sending us an email (info@meredithrotary.org) or call us at 279-7600. An existing club member will become your sponsor for membership in the club. You will be asked to meet with a Club member who will give you an overview of Rotary and our expectations of members. Your sponsor will nominate you for Club membership. Following approval by the Board of Directors, your nomination for membership is proposed to the Club. You will take the final step to become a member by participating in a formal induction ceremony.

When does the Meredith Rotary meet?
During the winter months, The Meredith Rotary Club meets each Wednesday evening at 6:00pm (October-May) at Hart's Turkey Farm Restaurant in Meredith for a dinner meeting that runs about 90 minutes. Each meeting includes a program speaker who addresses topics of interest to members. During the summer months (June-September), the meetings take place at The Meredith Bay Community Club in Meredith on Wednesday evening at 6:00 p.m..

What are attendance requirements?
Good attendance is necessary to ensure the proper commitment to your fellow Rotarians and to Club projects. To retain your membership you are expected to attend at least 50% of the Club's weekly meetings each year. If you miss one of our club's meetings you are strongly encouraged to make up that meeting by attending the meeting of a neighboring Club. Members who miss four consecutive meetings without approved leave of absence may be dropped from the Club.

What are the Annual Dues?
The annual fee for the Rotary Club of Meredith is $125, which includes basic support of the local club, Rotary International, and a subscription to The Rotarian, the International magazine.

Will I participate in Club Activities?
Yes! As a Club member you will have the opportunity to participate in many Club projects and activities. You will be expected to serve on committees that determine the direction of the Club and to accomplish the goals of the Club. Our projects include an annual senior citizen Holiday Dinner, Wine Tasting and Dance Gala, funding a community activity sign in Hesky Park, annual college scholarships to graduating high school seniors and adults returning to school, providing wheelchairs to handicapped persons in developing countries, building clean water systems in Honduras, fish stocking of several lakes in New Hampshire and an annual clean-up of Meredith Bay. Past projects have included major funding of the Center Harbor Gazebo, Meredith Public Library Function Room, The Meredith Community Center, Science Center of New Hampshire Raptor Exhibit, Meredith Historical Society Building Fund, Hesky Park improvements, Inter-Lakes High School Auditorium lighting, sound system and musical instruments. Additionally, we hold a "Clean Up Meredith" event in April of each year: members of the club and their families join together to pick up litter and debris left along secondary roads throughout Meredith. When the cleanup is finished we celebrate and serve everyone a BBQ lunch! All members are expected to participate in Club projects. We are all proud of our achievements and hope to expand them in the future.
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How does the Meredith Rotary Club raise money?
Each February, the Meredith Rotary Club sponsors The Great Rotary Fishing Derby as its primary fund-raising activity. Thousands of fishermen help the Club raise tens of thousands of dollars that fund projects in Meredith, Center Harbor, Moultonboro and Sandwich. Additionally, we have Casino Night, which usually occurs in October. Some of our projects include scholarships for standard and non-traditional students, the annual Senior Christmas Dinner, summer camp attendance for local children, donations to The Meredith Food Pantry, and Pure Water for the World. We also fund national and international projects through the Rotary Foundation and other Rotary Clubs.

To learn more about Rotary activities throughout the world, visit these links:

Rotary International
Rotary District 7870
Rotary Foundation