History of Warren Rotary

The first meeting of the Rotary Club of Warren was held on Jan. 29, 1918. There were thirty-two charter members and the first president was J.B. Estabrook.

After 3 weeks the club was actively involved in community activities assisting with the World War I war effort locally.

One of the first civic interests of the club was in the area of youth. In 1919 the Warren Rotary was instrumental in the forming of the Western Reserve Council of Boy Scouts of America which is still in existence today. Over the years the club has focused much attention on the local Scout movement and devoted much time and money towards their efforts and assisted with the operation of Camp Chickagami.

In the early 1920's the Warren Rotary Club was instrumental in starting the YMCA in Warren and assisted with the construction of the YMCA building which still stands at its original location on High Street in Warren.

In 1950 the Warren Rotary Club formed the Trumbull County Society for Crippled Children which led to the forming of the Halsey Taylor Rehabilitation Center in 1957. The center is still in operation today and is known as the Children's Rehabilitation Center.

In 1998 the Warren Rotary Club again stepped forward to raise funds for an Amphitheater along the Riverwalk in downtown Warren. To date the club has raised over $150,000 towards this effort. We have also secured several thousand dollars in matching funds from the State of Ohio towards this project.

Warren Rotary is also active in many projects on the International level. In 1999 the club committed over $11,000 towards the construction of a Primary School and Middle School building in Ghana West Africa. They were also instrumental in supplying that school with equipment and supplies to educate 150 local students who would otherwise have no adequate place to receive their education.

In the last five years the Warren Rotary Club has raised over one half million dollars which will be distributed through the Warren Rotary Foundation for many worthwhile community projects.

All of this is made possible through the dedicated efforts of the members of the Rotary Club of Warren who actively believe that "Service above Self" is a way of life for them.