In 1905, attorney Paul Harris, created the first Rotary Club in Chicago. This club was a place where professionals with diverse backgrounds could exchange ideas, form meaningful lifelong friendships, and give back to their communities. The name “Rotary” stems from this group’s early practice of rotating meetings among the offices of members.
The Rotary Club of Minneapolis was established in 1910. We are the ninth club out of more than 35,000 today. Club #9 is now has over 140 dedicated and passionate members with over 50 different fields of expertise. Because we are deeply seeded in diversity of culture and profession, we are able to develop quality programs backed with strong ethics. Club #9 continues to evolve and grow. We hope you will come and be a part of that evolution.
A History of Service Above Self
The famous Rotary motto is “Service Above Self.” It is a little-known fact that the motto originated from a Rotarian from this club. During the 1911 national convention Seattle, Rotarian J. E. Pinkham asked Ben Collins, president of Club #9, what was the best way to organize a Rotary club? Collins’ answer was simple: “Service, not self.” To this day, that idea is a key focus for Rotary around the world.
