Rotary International chartered the Enterprise Rotary Club on 12 May 1926 with 21 charter members of which Henry A. Dorsey was elected as the first Club President. Our sponsoring Rotary Club was the Troy Rotary Club. We, in turn, sponsored the Geneva Rotary Club in 1934, some eight years later. This was the first service club in Enterprise, Alabama. At the time of our charter, we were affiliated with Rotary District 26 (predecessor to our current Rotary District 6880) and the District Governor was Mr. Emory Polmar of Troy. As of May 1926, RI had over 2,000 clubs and some 100,000 Rotarians. Rotary International was in all 48 of the then United States, its territories, and 37 foreign countries. The Rotary International President in 1926 was Mr. Donald A. Adams of New Haven, Connecticut.

Over 800 men and women have served with distinction in the Enterprise Rotary Club during our first 78 years. Today our membership runs consistently around 97 members. Our membership is made up of business leaders and other professionals recognized throughout our community. We are also the oldest service club in Enterprise. Since 1926 the Enterprise Rotary Club has given approximately $800,000 and over 80,000 man-hours to our local community and other Rotary causes in support of various civic as well as worldwide Rotary projects. We enjoy an excellent reputation for our caring and involvement as well as the financial support we provide to our community and the Rotary Foundation. Since our founding in 1926, the Enterprise Rotary Club, the oldest service club in Enterprise, has been involved in every major civic project aimed at developing our community into the outstanding place to live and work that it is recognized for today.  Continuing our early history of club sponsorship, in 2002, the Enterprise Rotary Club sponsored the Enterprise Sunrise Rotary Club.

Charter Meeting, May 12, 1926

 

Though our meeting places and meeting dates have changed over the years, we now meet every Tuesday at Noon (12:00 PM) at the

Enterprise Civic Center, 711 Crawford Ave, Enterprise, AL 36330

Guests of Rotarians and Rotarian visitors are always welcome. We have enjoyed spending time with Rotarian guests and visitors from all 50 states and 35 foreign countries. We currently display banners representing banners some 100 Rotary Clubs worldwide. Since 1994, we have had Rotarian visitors and guests from California, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, New York, and Pennsylvania, as well as from Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Scotland, South Africa, Sweden, and the Netherlands.

Assistance to the Community

The Enterprise Rotary Club, primarily through our well-known $10,000 Give-a-Way fundraising activity, has made financial contributions to many worthwhile Coffee County agencies. On the average, 15 Coffee County agencies per year are helped with contributions totaling $15,000 annually. Fundraisers even included, at one time, an Air Show. The Enterprise Rotary Club was the primary sponsor for the purchase of Camp Ala-Flo. Rotarian "Mac" McKinney volunteered to raise the final $25,000 needed to pay for the land. The father of a former Club President Max Ellis, was the first Leader of the Enterprise Boy Scouts. Congressman George Andrews publicly gave Fred Taylor, Enterprise Club President 1948-49, credit for keeping then Camp Rucker open, based on his excellent presentation on behalf of the post, before the Armed Services Committee in Washington, DC. Hilton J. Harrell, Club President 1952-53, is widely acknowledged as the individual responsible for bringing the chicken industry to the local area. Over the past several decades, the Enterprise Rotary Club's "major project" has been what was initially proposed as the Enterprise Civic and Convention Center initiative. That initiative has now been redirected toward the Enterprise State Junior College Performing Arts Center, with some $5,000 already donated and $20,000 in escrow awaiting the completion of a community-wide fundraising effort. Several years ago, the Enterprise Rotary Club founded and continues to support the Jerry B. Brunson Enterprise Rotary Club Foundation, Inc. It is responsible for generating civic support and scholarship projects. Another major club undertaking has been supporting the federally mandated Coffee County Family Services Center. Historically the club earmarked $5,000 to support this effort. In the past, the Enterprise Rotary Club, with matching grants from Rotary District 6880 and Rotary International, raised over $50,000 to assist the victims of the most recent Elba flood. In 2002, the Enterprise Rotary Club started the Centennial Park initiative to enhance the Johnny B. Henderson Family Park playground equipment to better facilitate the needs of special children and adults.  In addition to these assistance programs, the Enterprise Rotary Club has supported the following listing of other community projects.

 

District Governors and Officers-Past and Present