Rotary Fundraising
University Area Houston Rotary Club Foundation
Fundraising Activities
Our Rotary Club’s Fundraising Activities
Rotary is about service to the community. Our Rotary Club and our members support a variety of charitable and community efforts. But we can only do this with your support and your donations.
To support these efforts, our club holds several fundraising activities throughout the year. Your support and participation goes directly to helping fund these important charitable efforts.
Our Holiday Flags Program
For an annual subscription price, volunteers will place a large 3×5-foot American Flag or Texas Flag on 8 foot poles in front of your house on four major national holidays.
Join your neighbors in proudly displaying the American Flag in front of your home on major national holidays. You can sign up at any time throughout the year. Sign up now…
Musical Event & Dinner to Benefit Fire Fighters
Join us on July 21st for a musical event and dinner to support firefighters with cancer. This fundraising event supports the Rotary Firefighters Home here in Houston.
Join our Master of Ceremony Octavio Olano at the “Jennis” Banquet Hall on Saturday, July 21st to honor our first responders and support the Rotary Fire Fighters Home.
Rotary Fire Fighters Home – 3rd Annual Gala
Join us on September 7th as we hold our 3rd Annual Gala in support of firefighters and first responders with cancer. This fundraising event supports the Rotary Firefighters Home here in Houston.
The Keynote Speaker that night will be W. Nim Kidd – Chief of TDEM (Texas Division of Emergency Management). Join us at the Omni Houston Westside Grand Ballroom on Saturday, September 7th to honor our first responders and support the Rotary Fire Fighters Home.
Charitable Efforts
Our Charitable and Community Efforts
Your support of our fundraising efforts goes directly to support several charitable and local community efforts.
Rotary Fire Fighters Home
Your support helps us fund building of the local Rotary Firefighter’s Home in partnership with M.D. Anderson. This provides a place where firefighters and their families can stay while in Houston being treated at the Texas Medical Center for cancers acquired by exposure to carcinogens during their work. Learn more…
End Polio Now
Your donations also go to support the End Polio Now program providing free polio vaccinations. End Polio Now has helped immunize more than 2.5 billion children against polio in 122 countries. We have reduced polio cases by 99.9% worldwide and we won’t stop until we end the disease for good. Learn more…
About Our Rotary Club
The University Area Houston Rotary Club
We meet Wednesdays at 7:15 AM
HERMANN PARK GOLF COURSE CLUB HOUSE
2155 North MacGregor Way
HOUSTON, TX 77004
Hermann Park Golf Course Club House
To learn more about the Rotary Club of University Area Houston visit our main website at: https://portal.clubrunner.ca/3071/
Our History
Our Rotary Club is part of Rotary International, the world’s first service club organization beginning in 1905, with more than 1.2 million members in 33,000 clubs in over 165 countries worldwide. Rotary International is an NGO (Non- Governmental Organization) member of the United Nations. Rotary club members are volunteers who work locally, regionally and internationally to combat hunger, improve health and sanitation, provide education and job training, promote peace and eradicate polio under the motto “SERVICE ABOVE SELF.”
The Rotary Club of Houston sponsored the Rotary Club of the University Area- Houston while Merrill Brown was president. The club was chartered February 26, 1946, It was the fourth Rotary Club to be formed in Houston. The charter was presented Saturday, March 9, 1946 in the Rice Hotel. Reverend Tom Sumners pushed for the establishment of the club and became the first president.
Rumor has it our club was the first club in the USA to meet at night. The club met on Mondays in the Varsity Room at Ye Olde College Inn located on Main Street about where Diagnostic Hospital is today.
During our first eight years of existence, we had participated with gift TV’s for the VA Hospital, $8,000 gift for the Hedgecroft Clinic, furnished two rooms at Texas Children’s Hospital and worked with the Harris County Emergency Corps. Now our club participates in helping along with other clubs major international projects including water lines in Matamoros, fire equipment for Tampico as well as helping other non-profits like Special Cheers and the Boys and Girls Country. We also help raise funds to end polio in the world and provide an apartment for firefighters coming to Houston to fight their #1 killer-cancer. Service Above Self is truly our main motto.
By 1957 the Club meetings were held in the Trinity Episcopal Church, in 1960 we moved to Milford House, then to the Warwick Hotel in 1963. In 1982 the club moved to the R-Room above Rice University Stadium. In May 2005 the club moved to the Hilton Plaza Medical Center. After several years we had to make a decision to become a breakfast club and then moved to Hungry’s Bistro in Rice Village. When Hungry’s Bistro built a new location we then moved to the Herman Park Club House where we meet today.
Rotary Club of University Area gets its name from the several Universities in the area – Rice, University of Houston and the medical and nursing Universities within the Texas Medical Center complex.
To the Club’s everlasting good fortune, Sue Ofield began providing the music in 1965 and continued until we moved from the Hilton Hotel. Marilyn Davis became the Corresponding Secretary in 1986 and held this position until she retired in 2005. These ladies contributed greatly to making us one of the distinguished clubs in District 5890.
The Club conducted its first “Shrimp Peel” fundraiser in 1966. This tradition continued through 2000 at which time the revered Shrimp Peel was discontinued. For the next three years, we sponsored a Golf Tournament and Dinner fundraiser that was not too successful. In 2003 the club dropped the major annual fundraiser activity altogether. We ask each member to make an annual fundraiser contribution to our club’s 501 c ( 3 ) —The University Area Rotary Foundation. Since that time we have begun to have annual fundraisers at Saint Arnold’s Brewery and had a successful golf tournament.
Five Houston area Rotary clubs have been sponsored by this club: Bellaire-SW (1956), River Oaks (1959), Sharpstown (1962), Almeda-Post Oak (1971) and West U. (1995).
All Rotary Clubs believe in “SERVICE ABOVE SELF”. Members also practice in their lives and businesses THE FOUR WAY TEST OF THE THINGS WE THINK, SAY OR DO:
- Is it the TRUTH?
- Is it FAIR to all concerned?
- Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?
- Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?
We apply these principles to our projects locally, regionally and internationally.