Rotary started with the vision of one man — Paul P. Harris.
Harris was born on 19 April 1868 in Racine, Wisconsin, USA. In 1905 Paul founded Rotary in Chicago for fellowship and mutual helpfulness.
Harris died on 27 January 1947 in Chicago at age 78, after a prolonged illness. Before his death, he made it known that he preferred contributions to The Rotary Foundation in lieu of flowers. By coincidence, days before he died, Rotary leaders had committed to a major fundraising effort for the Foundation.
Upon news of his death, Rotary created the Paul Harris Memorial Fund as a way to solicit these donations. Rotarians were encouraged to commemorate the late founder of Rotary by contributing to the fund, which would be used for purposes dear to Harris’ heart. In the 18 months following his death, The Rotary Foundation received $1.3 million, which helped support the Foundation’s first program — scholarships for graduate study abroad.
Today in his remembrance donate to the Rotary Foundation https://my.rotary.org/en/donate