90 years old Rotary Club of Glarus

Years of foundation and leadership

On February 23, 1905, Paul Harris founded the Rotary Club of Chicago, the first and now most important club in the world. The idea of ​​tolerant, cosmopolitan, and observant men coming from different professions and maintaining friendly contact in a club atmosphere spread very quickly in the United States and from 1911 onwards all over the world. Curious but typical is the financing of a public toilet in Chicago by Rotary in the year of its founding in 1905.

On 10 June 1933, 21 people founded the Glarner Club in the Hotel Glarnerhof with the help of Rotarian Henri Tchody, a homesick Glarner and president of the Rotary Club of St. Gallen. It was the twenty-first club in Switzerland, the first having been founded on May 5, 1924 in Zurich. The Glarner Rotarians showed a pioneering spirit, as the club was founded many years before Schaffhausen (1938), Zug (1939) and Schwyz (1948). There are currently 46,000 clubs worldwide with 1.4 million members in over 200 countries. Switzerland has 223 clubs and 13,701 members. The Rotary Club of Glarus has 60 members; Since 2009 there have also been seven women.

Glarnerland’s commitment

In weekly meetings, Rotary Glarus cultivate friendship and exchange views on private, social and business issues. At three out of four such meetings, lectures on current topics are on the agenda. In addition, the club participates in donations and fundraising activities to support youth and aid projects. Rotary Glarus gives out about 25,000 francs annually.

The assistance to start the “Ufzgi and Sport Glarnerland” project is currently running through 2024. In 2021, 15,000 francs will be used to fund the majority of the construction of the community center in Demel, Nepal. A year ago, the Jonas Müller Environmental School in Raja Ampat, Glarus, benefited from a donation of CHF 15,000. Rotary Glarus also raised CHF40,000 for Mine X, a relief organization for mine victims, by organizing benefit concerts. At the beginning of July, exchange student Fukiko Ohki returns to Japan after a year at Glarnerland. The Rotary and Glarner Club have been committed to global youth exchange for many years and enable school children to enjoy a memorable stay.

The Rotary Foundation, a global fundraising organization, has donated more than $5.5 billion to humanitarian projects since its inception. Rotarians volunteer more than 47 million hours a year around the world.

Anniversary activities at Elm

The organization of the 90th anniversary is already considering how to celebrate ten years later. This year’s anniversary event for members and loved ones should be simple and relaxing. The first part of the program included a snack at the “Älpli” mountain lodge on the Elm Sports Railway with a star ride. The wild youngsters took the mountain bike route from Haslen through Mettmen and Wildmadfurggeli (2292m above sea level). The athletes came from Schwanden to Elm-Ämpächli or Elm-Obererbs and on the Höhenweg to «Älpli». Rotary hikers also enjoyed the unique nature and view of the Höhenweg. Non-climbing participants traveled by gondola, followed by a short walk.

In the evening, the second part was to celebrate our anniversary at the Elmer Hotel. The music and history club provided Rotarians Heinz Kindelmann and Hans Marthe interesting entertainment. The tradition of writing a weekly bulletin for each meeting from its inception has made browsing and storytelling easier for historians. The quoted statements of three founding members brought the past to life and caused many laughs – for example, the quote from the March 1, 1937 presentation by Rotarian Robert Pfeiffer of Mollis on the subject of television: “Unfortunately, receivers still cost 4,000 to 6,000 Franconia, so that it is hard to believe that television will become as well established as ordinary radio.” At that time, the monthly salary of an engineer was 300 francs.

The Rotarians of Glarner are convinced that Rotarians are important as long as they are devoted to current issues and provide appropriate services to the community. With this in mind, there would be reason enough to celebrate Eternal Youth’s 100th birthday in ten years’ time