Rotary Clubs in Kitchener-Waterloo
#PeopleOfActionKW
One of Rotary’s initiatives is to connect passionate people with diverse perspectives to exchange ideas, forge lifelong friendships, and, above all, take action to change the world. The five Clubs in Kitchener-Waterloo are coming together to connect in the community through acts of service. Our first hands-on project is in partnership with KidsAbility to refurbish and renew the Sensory Garden located at KidsAbility Centre for Child Development in Waterloo, ON.
What is Rotary in Kitchener-Waterloo?
Proudly serving for 100 years, the five core Rotary Clubs of Kitchener-Waterloo are dedicated to supporting local charities, institutions, and international humanitarian projects. Our Clubs engage community leaders to support the work of Rotary International with a local, city-core focus on community, families, and children in need.
Each Club offers a unique experience and are open to you exploring your options before diving in! We want you to find the Club that suits your schedule, skills, ambitions, and service needs.
In the virtual world we’re living in, why not click and connect with Rotary in Kitchener-Waterloo?
Learn more about each Club below!
KidsAbility, Education Near & Far, Community Support
Established in 1922, Kitchener Rotary was the first Rotary Club established in Kitchener-Waterloo. Kitchener Rotary is an engaged community leader that supports the work of Rotary around the globe with a local, city core focus on community, families, and children in need. The efforts of Rotarians led to the establishment of the Rotary Children’s Centre in 1957 – renamed KidsAbility in 2003. We were the first club in Kitchener-Waterloo to support the inclusion of women in Rotary and co-founded the Rotary African Women’s Education Fund.
| Meeting time: | Twice a month on Monday at 12:00 PM | ||
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| Meeting location: | Refer to kitchenerrotary.ca | ||
| Key events: | Car Lottery, Catch The Ace, Rotary Online Auction | ||
| Key charities and causes: |
KidsAbility, African Women’s Education Fund, International projects
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| Type of club: | Traditional | ||
| Contact links: | Email Website  |
International Focus, Homeless Near Home, Annual Lobsterfest
Rotary Kitchener-Conestoga was founded in 1971 with the purpose of expressing the objectives of Rotary by supporting local community causes but particularly having a strong international focus – a direction that continues to this day. Our goal is to help women and children in health and education both in our local community and internationally. In the last 20 years we have raised over $6M to support that goal. We have been most recognized by Lobsterfest, co-founding the Rotary African Women’s Education Fund, the Dream Home Lottery, and our annual Turkey Drive.
| Meeting time: | Fridays at 12:00 PM | |||
| Meeting location: | Refer to kcrotary.ca | |||
| Key events: | Turkey Drive, Lobsterfest & Ribfest, Catch The Ace | |||
| Key charities and causes: | International aid and grants for local charities | |||
| Type of club: | Traditional | |||
| Contact links: | Email Website
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Breakfast Bunch, Youth Activities, Sport-Oriented Events
Kitchener Grand River Rotary is a diverse and engaged community organization dedicated to supporting children, youth, and future leaders. Kitchener Grand River Rotary is the organizer of two major community fundraising events: Skate48 Charity Hockey Challenge and Mudpuppy Chase Family Race, in support of local charities and international humanitarian projects.
| Meeting time: | The second and fourth Tuesday of each month at 7:30 AM | ||
| Meeting location: | Refer to rotarygrandriverkitchener.com | ||
| Key events: | MudPuppy Chase Family Race, Skate48, Catch The Ace | ||
| Key charities and causes: | KidsAbility, Nicaragua Health Care Fund, Pride Stables, Send’em Off Smiling, Nutrition4Learning | ||
| Type of club: | Traditional | ||
| Contact links: | Email Website |
Family-Focused, Holiday Events, Canada Proud
In March 1981, members from the three existing Rotary Clubs came together and formed the Rotary Kitchener-Westmount. Seven original members gathered another 31 like-minded people to charter the Rotary Kitchener-Westmount. Rotary Kitchener-Westmount is making positive changes in our community and the world with dedicated people sharing a passion for community service and friendship.
| Meeting time: | Wednesdays at 12:00 PM | ||
| Meeting location: | Refer to rotarykw.com | ||
| Key events: | Canada Proud, Catch The Ace | ||
| Key charities and causes: | KidsAbility, Grand River Hospital, Hospice of Waterloo | ||
| Type of club: | Traditional | ||
| Contact links: | Email Website |
Community Service, Environmental Well-Being, International Partnerships
Rotary Waterloo was founded in 1963 and has been built upon the loyalty and hard work of dedicated and positive members and friends. The strong track record won by its faithful and hardworking contributors has led to many endeavours and successes in its history. We support and contribute to many community initiatives and proudly support KidsAbility, Supportive Housing of Waterloo, and many other local not for profit agencies. Our goal as Rotarians is to support our community locally as well as participate in Rotary International humanitarian projects.
| Meeting time: | The second and fourth Tuesdays of each month at 6:00 PM | ||
| Meeting location: | Refer to rotarywaterloo.ca | ||
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| Key events: |
Golf "Fore" KidsAbility, Catch The Ace, Annual Citrus Fruit Sale
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| Key charities and causes: |
Kidsability, Supportive Housing of Waterloo
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| Type of club: | Traditional | ||
| Contact links: | Email Website |
Leadership Waterloo Region is in the people business.
LWR is a charity dedicated to leadership development across the diverse spectrum of talent that makes up Waterloo Region. They envision a community that is vibrant, resilient and inclusive of leaders from all walks of life, experience and passions, and strive to empower and equip those leaders with the tools they need to make their mark Waterloo Region in meaningful ways.
Over 480 Core Program graduates are out in our community making an impact on over 400 committees and boards. In short, LWR leaders are not only positioned to bring ideas forward, but they are equipped to bring the community together to actually make change a reality.
Why is this important when there are so many challenges facing our community, like affordable housing, mental health, food insecurity? If you ask LWR’s CEO, Diane Wiles, she agrees but adds, “there are a number of issues that need time, care and resources. But who, if not leaders like those from LWR will step up and commit the time and those resources to tackle them?”
LWR works to ensure the long-term vitality of our great community. They engage facilitators to speak on relevant topics that are critical at times of need, and also for those times when we need to sit back, reflect and stretch ourselves about what we think we know.
It's easy to see how LWR aligns with Rotary’s vision to build communities where its citizens thrive and are connected to each other through service. If you’d like to learn more about LWR, Diane would love to buy you a cup of coffee!
The Ongoing Sensory Garden Project at KidsAbility
Our 5 Clubs came together on October 23rd, 2021 to complete the first step of this project!
On June 18th, a sunny Spring morning in 2022, Rotarians from the five local clubs (Kitchener, Waterloo, Kitchener-Westmount, Kitchener-Conestoga and Kitchener Grand River) came together armed with garden gloves, shovels, rakes, garbage bags, knee pads, wheel barrels, a big mountain of mulch donated by Moser Landscaping and an extra dose of goodwill to clean up the Sensory Garden at KidsAbility, an organization that supports over 9,000 children and youth to reach their communication, social, physical and behaviour goals each year.
This garden provides an environment designed with the purpose of stimulating the senses by the use of plants and materials that engage the senses of sight, smell, touch, taste and sound. The children and youth who experience this garden are also invited to assist with planting various species that they can watch grow and mature to their full capacity - much like the journey they are on at KidsAbility.
Please click HERE to view a video of our local Rotary People of Action having fun and making a difference in our community!
KidsAbility Sensory Garden - After Our Summer Clean-Up
KidsAbility Sensory Garden - Before Our Fall Clean-Up
KidsAbility Sensory Garden - Afternoon Crew Fall Clean-Up
KidsAbility Sensory Garden - Morning Crew Fall Clean-Up
KidsAbility Sensory Garden - After Our Fall Clean-Up
KidsAbility Sensory Garden - Before Our Summer Clean-Up
KidsAbility Sensory Garden - People of Action KW
KidsAbility Sensory Garden - People of Action KW
KidsAbility Sensory Garden - People of Action KW
KidsAbility Sensory Garden - People of Action KW
KidsAbility Sensory Garden - After Our Summer Clean-Up
Did you know that KidsAbility first opened its doors as the K-W Rotary Children’s Centre in 1957? During the formative years between 1922 to 1957, Rotary Club members organized medical clinics, transported children to Toronto hospitals when they couldn’t be seen locally, and fundraised to buy equipment and pay for medical services!
We are excited to continue to make a difference for so many local families today and for years to come. Join us and follow along on our social media pages using the hashtag #peopleofactionkw.
