Anacortes Rotary Club

Anacortes Rotary Club Anacortes Noon Rotary members are community leaders dedicated to supporting projects & programs on Fidalgo Island through fundraising & community service.

Celebrating 98 Years of History 1922 - 2020
Our club charter was granted December 22, 1922. On February 23, 1923, the chartering dinner was held with more than 250 Rotarians and guests in attendance from the Northwest and British Columbia. There were 17 charter members. The sponsoring club was Bellingham. They presented a chartering gift of a brass Rotary bell which had been forged in Bellingham.

Skagit County was the first county in Washington state to have three Rotary Clubs. Anacortes was Rotary Club number 1301. At that time this area was in Rotary District 1. Records of the club are very sketchy, but most meetings were covered by the local newspaper. Meetings seemed very similar to those today, For example, wood products, port activity, economy, new business and even tourism were subjects covered. In these early years the Anacortes Club set a pattern which continues in 2001 by recognizing youth of the community. The Boy and Girl Students of the Year were established and continue to the present. Recognition of athletes, scholars, musicians, etc. became annual events. One thing that is different is that they had singing at every meeting. They had a Rotary quartet and solos. The club also was a co-sponsor of the annual 4th of July celebration and the annual reception for new teachers. Attendance has been very important to Rotary International since it was founded in 1905. The rules of Rotary contain attendance criteria for continued membership. In 1924, the Anacortes Rotary Club went 32 consecutive meetings with 100% attendance. In 1925, the club was divided into 3 teams. The losing team had to put on the anniversary charter dinner. The teams attendance were; 98.13;97.43;97.31. Much ado was made of a Rotarian who came from Victoria on the morning ferry to continue 10 years of perfect attendance. It was font page news when, in 1927, a visiting Rotarian was form Council Bluffs, Iowa. There were may joint meetings in the pre-World WAR II years. They had numerous social events with the Mount Vernon and Sedro Woolley Clubs. During World War II, they even scheduled a dinner-dance with these tow clubs-- "blackout rules permitting". The first attendee at the Rotary International conference was Father Gustave Truenet, who attended the 1927 conference in Ostend, Belgium. The club grew steadily in the 1920's, growing to 39 members by 1930 with good attendance. Dr. Lyle Packard and Paul Luvera Sr., joined in 1926 and 1929 respectively starting over 50 years of active Rotary service for each. The depression had an immediate effect on membership. By 1932, membership stood at 29 and by late 1933 had dropped to 16. Though they were close to losing the charter a few held the club together and by 1940 the membership topped 30 again, and by 1947 had topped 40. In 2004 membership is in the 70's

- See more at: anacortesrotary.org

On Membership Monday, we acknowledge our long-standing members and welcome new participants who enrich Rotary's communit...
05/19/2026

On Membership Monday, we acknowledge our long-standing members and welcome new participants who enrich Rotary's community service initiatives. Want to learn more? Please contact us to discuss further!

You could be as cool as these folks with your very own Rotary T-Shirt! As with most things, bulk pricing is always more ...
05/07/2026

You could be as cool as these folks with your very own Rotary T-Shirt! As with most things, bulk pricing is always more attractive so we would like to offer the opportunity to our members to purchase shirts now, so we can put a single bulk order together.

Follow the link below to put your name, size, etc. The cost is $25 which will cover the shirt, tax and shipping. We would like to have all orders in no later than June 15. Feel free to order more than one, and one for each of your family members. Do it now!

https://forms.gle/PJuPaAM2u2kJ66WW6

Pints for Polio was a tremendous success last night! Our club and the Fidalgo Island Rotary Club joined forces with Dr L...
05/02/2026

Pints for Polio was a tremendous success last night! Our club and the Fidalgo Island Rotary Club joined forces with Dr Lee Harmon's Vicky Challenge, and with the help of matching funds, we raised over $26,000 dollars to end polio. Way to go Rotarians! Many thanks to the staff at the Rockfish Grill & Anacortes Brewery for their annual support.

Congratulations incoming Rotary president, Brett Harrison. We are SO glad you and LaShan are staying!
04/29/2026

Congratulations incoming Rotary president, Brett Harrison. We are SO glad you and LaShan are staying!

It’s official! 🎉
Lieutenants Brett and LaShan Harrison (Directors & Pastors) will be staying in Anacortes for another year!
We’re excited for what’s ahead and can’t wait to see how our community continues to grow, support one another, and make a difference together in 2026–2027. ❤️

(We asked if we could take a silly picture while taking our official photos- I think this describes our personalities in one shot!)

Jeremy Graham gets another Paul Harris!
04/29/2026

Jeremy Graham gets another Paul Harris!

The Earth Day Luminary Parade was a tremendous success with many Rotarians in attendance including the Garrisons and the...
04/25/2026

The Earth Day Luminary Parade was a tremendous success with many Rotarians in attendance including the Garrisons and the Stars!

Join us for our Spring "Pints for Polio" fundraiser, 5PM Thursday 4/30 at the Rockfish Grill! Both Anacortes Rotary club...
04/24/2026

Join us for our Spring "Pints for Polio" fundraiser, 5PM Thursday 4/30 at the Rockfish Grill! Both Anacortes Rotary clubs will be joining forces for this. Participation is simple: Show up at the Rockfish, enjoy some food and beverage, enjoy fun and fellowship with Club members and our friends at the Morning Club, and drop off your donation in the designated bucket for your Club. Suggested donation is $50, but any amount is welcome. Once again, each dollar you donate at this event will be matched 2:1 by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (your dollar is tripled). In addition, this event will seek an additional 1:1 dollar match from the Miss Vicky Challenge–so your donations will actually be quadrupled!! Dr. Lee Harmon, from the Arlington Club and Founder of the Miss Vicky Challenge, has accepted our invitation to attend and he may even bring his vintage car-Miss Vicky. RSVP to Ron Litzinger by Monday 4/25!

Thanks to Therese Rudzis and Sondra Peters for organizing the murder mystery dinner show, “Canal Venezia” with this epic...
04/13/2026

Thanks to Therese Rudzis and Sondra Peters for organizing the murder mystery dinner show, “Canal Venezia” with this epic cast of characters. It was a memorable evening to raise funds for the Dolly Parton Imagination Library!

Welcome newest member, Joe Cohen. "I love engagement with interesting people who embrace and care about community" Joe ...
04/11/2026

Welcome newest member, Joe Cohen. "I love engagement with interesting people who embrace and care about community" Joe told us. "Rotary offers that opportunity to be of Service while enjoying fellowship."

01/11/2026

Address

419 Commercial Avenue
Anacortes, WA
98221

Opening Hours

12pm - 1:15pm

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