Oceanside Club History

Founded in April of 1924, the Oceanside Rotary Club is the oldest Rotary club in North County. Being such an established and well-respected club, our membership roster has always included many of the prominent business and civic leaders of our community - the so-called "movers and shakers" around town. Through the years Oceanside Rotary has grown in both number and in our impact throughout our area. Along the way we have sponsored several other Rotary Clubs in North County. Both the El Camino Rotary and San Luis Rey Rotary were offshoots of our club. In an attempt to spread the Rotary creed of "Service Above Self" even further, we formed and continue to work closely with the Interact Club at Oceanside High School. This very active group of motivated students learns leadership skills and the importance and the rewards of community service.

Oceanside Rotary has a long history of generous support for the youth of our city. About one-half of our entire annual charitable contribution budget goes to funding youth programs and activities. These include scholarships, music programs, speech contests, athletic teams, leadership
seminars, literacy programs and much, much more.

We provide both financial support and hands-on assistance through a wide variety of other community service projects. We have refurbished and sponsor the Rotary Cottage at Oceanside's Family Recovery Center - a caring environment for mothers and children wanting to escape drug addiction. We were the lead organization in the community-wide effort to place defibrillators throughout Oceanside. We have landscaped, painted and remodeled many a park and community facility over the years.

Our efforts have included international service as well. We have refurbished and supported both an orphanage and a senior center in Baja California. We have led food and holiday toy drives for those in need south of the border. We have worked with our sister club in Osaka-Hanwa, Japan on several projects and we are looking into adding more sister city connections through Rotary International. We have been faithful contributors the Rotary Foundation's ongoing efforts to eradicate polio worldwide.

In 1995, we established our own Oceanside Rotary Club Foundation. Its steadily growing endowment fund we hope will someday provide even more resources which we can give right back to the community through contributions and service. Oceanside Rotary always has, and always will, play an important role in shaping, supporting and improving our community