Amwell Rotary Club

The Rotary Foundation

An endowment fund, set up by Rotarians in 1917 with an initial contribution of $26.50, became a not for profit corporation known as The Rotary Foundation in 1928.

Upon the death of Paul Harris in 1947, a massive influx of Rotarian donations made in his honour - totaling some US$2 million - launched the Foundation's first programme, graduate fellowships, now known as Ambassadorial Scholarships. Today, contributions to the foundation total more than US$80 million each year and support a wide range of humanitarian grants and educational programs that enable Rotarians to bring hope and promote international understanding throughout the world.

All Amwell Rotary Club members contribute to the Foundation Funds through their membership dues and additional funds are also raised through a weekly raffle amongst Amwell Rotarians.

Through the Rotary Foundation, matching grants may be negotiated to allow Rotary Clubs in different countries to join forces to complete humanitarian aid projects with the help of additional funding from the Foundation. Follow the link on the navigation bar at the top of the page for more details of just one such project undertaken by Amwell Rotary Club.

We have also been able to obtain matching grants for Community Service projects much closer to home, notably to provide additional facilities for Vale House in Hertford to help with their invaluable work in treating drug and alcohol dependence.

Paul Harris Fellowships

Named after our founder, the Paul Harris Fellowship award marks outstanding service to Rotary or to the community and the club makes a donation to the Foundation in recognition of each award presented.

Paul Harris Fellowships have been awarded to several Amwell Rotary Club members and we have also honoured several non Rotarians for their outstanding service.

Follow the link on the navigation bar for a list and photographs of Amwell Rotary Club's recipients of this prestigious award.

Group Study Exchange

GSE teams spend a month visiting Rotary Districts abroad in order to study with local people involved in the same or similar occupations to their own.

Ambassadorial Scholars

Rotary Ambassadorial Scholars are sponsored to spend exchange years overseas on agreed project work, supported by Rotary in the countries concerned.

Polio Plus

In 1985, Rotary launched the Polio Plus programme to protect children worldwide from the cruel and fatal consequences of polio. In 1988, the World Health Assembly challenged the world to eradicate polio.

Since that time, Rotary's efforts and those of partner agencies, including the World Health Organization and the United Nations Children's Fund as well as governments around the world, have achieved a 99 percent reduction in the number of polio cases worldwide.

Rotarians stand on the brink of a great victory and we look forward to celebrating the global eradication of polio. Click on the End Polio image opposite for more details on the US $100 million challenge to wipe out the last 1% of cases.