Rotary Club of Long Beach Celebrates its 100th Anniversary

On Wednesday, Nov. 1, the Rotary Club of Long Beach observed its 100th anniversary of being a chartered club in Rotary International and would like to invite members of the local community to its centennial celebration dinner on Nov. 15 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel (200 South Pine, Long Beach) from 7-9 p.m.

Rotary International President Ian Riseley, who is flying in from Australia, will be the featured speaker. Riseley will be visiting the Centennial Legacy Project and will experience a demonstration of the Centennial Legacy Gift, Teaching Ethics to Kids, as well as reading to children at the Long Beach Day Nursery. Riseley will be presenting Paul Harris Fellow pins at the celebration; following his address he will answer questions from the audience.

The Rotary Club of Long Beach was first chartered 100 years ago as the 334^th club in Rotary International when Granville Savage visited Long Beach and met with seven local men to share his enthusiasm about the Rotary Club in New York. Together, they formed the city’s first service club, the Rotary Club of Long Beach.

The club’s first president, J.J. Mottell, was a funeral director and civic leader. Mottell and 15 other charter members moved the club along to cement friendships, contribute to the community and elevate business ethics.

100 years later, the Rotary Club of Long Beach is in the top 50 largest clubs – out of 35,000 Rotary clubs worldwide encompassing 1.2 million total members – and is comprised of Long Beach’s business and community leaders who share a mantra of “Service Above Self.”

Tickets to the event cost $75 per person and can be purchased by contacting the club’s executive director, Madrid Zimmerman, via email at madrid@rotarylongbeach.org. For additional information, call the Rotary Club of Long Beach at (562) 436-8181.