Who We Are

The Rotary Club was chartered on November 1, 1912. The club grew to 128 members its first year led by Herbert Hayes. From its inception, the Club has been about service. One of its first projects was to erect a community Christmas tree in Alamo Plaza. As there was no government program for the poor, Rotarians banded together to provide food and gifts for the children.  In those early years Rotarians sponsored the hanging of colored lights for the River Walk, supported orphans, raised money for the Boy Scouts, donated funds to fix the roof of the Alamo and acted as volunteer fireman during a strike by the local fire fighters.

The Club’s focus shifted to the youth of Bexar County and in 1921 a Student Loan Fund was established.

In time the Club decided the community would be better served by providing scholarships and the Youth Education Foundation was formed in 1984. Hundreds of students have been able to pursue their educational goals with the help of YEF.

Continuing its dedication to education, in 1991 the Club established the largest dropout prevention program in the nation, the Sam J. Riklin Rotary Diploma Plus Program. Besides providing a monetary incentive for good grades and attendance, the program provides mentors and a path to additional scholarships.

In 2001, the Rotary Club of San Antonio was the Host Club for the Rotary International Convention which registered more than 24,000 individuals from 133 countries. Its success established Rotary’s very first District Donor Advised Fund (DAF) which continues in perpetuity to benefit all qualifying District 5840 Club service projects.

In addition to education, our Club provides a safe haven for children through its Kingdom for Kids program. In a hands-on service project in under-served areas of the city, playgrounds are built, landscaping and soccer fields are installed. Thousands of children have benefited from these playgrounds. As a member of Rotary International our Club’s service extends throughout the world aiding in the eradication of polio, providing clean water, equipping literacy and adult education centers, providing medical equipment and much more.