Rotary is an international organization of business and professional leaders who strive to provide strong humanitarian services, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and to build goodwill and peace throughout their community and the world.

History:
Long recognized as the premier service club, the Henderson Rotary Club Inc. and it's subsidiary, the Henderson Rotary Charitable Trust, Inc. have a lengthy record of service to our community, our state and nation, and internationally.

The Henderson Rotary Club was founded on September 6, 1917 with forty-four charter members. It is the fourth oldest club in District 6710. (Only Louisville, founded in 1912, and Paducah and Owensboro, started in 1915, are older.)

The Henderson Rotary Charitable Trust, Inc. is a wholly owned corporation of the Henderson Rotary Club. It was chartered in November 1989 to promote the extensive civic and chartable activities of the club.

Two Rotary projects are unmatched in service in Henderson. First is its leading support for St. Anthony's Hospice program for the terminally ill. Since Hospice was formed, the Henderson Rotary Club has provided more than $450,000 raised through the club's annual Tea Dance. Second is the Archie Riehl Field Day, a program for the youngsters of Henderson County grade schools. Each year, nearly 800 youngsters from the county's fourteen grade schools meet to test their skills in field and track events. After a morning of spirited competition, where all are winners, they are treated to a picnic lunch on the grounds.

Henderson Rotary also serves our community through its support of the United Way, Salvation Army, Junior Achievement, Henderson Library, Operation Community Pride, Heart Association, Henderson War on Drugs, Senior Citizen's Center and Bonnet Films.

Henderson Rotary has supported Henderson Community College since its opening day and annually gives scholarships to local students. in 1989 a Scholarship Fund was established as part of The Henderson Rotary Charitable Trust to provide a germinate basis for funding future scholarships. This fund is supported in great measure by Trust Fellow Awards. This recognition is given for a contribution of $500 by, or for, a person to the Trust Through the years Rotary's educational assistance program has helped students become teachers, doctors, dentist, engineers, nurses and a wide variety of other occupations.

Since 1964 our Rotary Club has had an unbroken string of visitors to our community from other countries. Each summer at least one youngster has stayed in our homes (and several through the school year) and they have given us a greater understanding into their lives, customs and countries. They have come from virtually every country in Europe (even from behind the "Iron Curtin" - Poland, Yugoslavia and Moldova) from Mexico, Central America and Japan

As an outgrowth of a group Study Exchange with Rotary District 2660 in the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto area of Japan in 1975-76 we have continued an informal exchange of young people (including some from Rotary families) between the districts during the school vacation period.

Henderson Rotary is a strong supporter of the Rotary Foundation. The Rotary Foundation supports international scholarships at the graduate level, the undergraduate level, and for specialized training such as teaching the deaf, handicapped, etc. plus vocational scholarships for students from under developed areas and the Group Study Exchanges for young businessmen and women. At each meeting several dollars are set aside for the Foundation, and additional support of the Foundation is through the Sustaining Membership and Paul Harris Fellow Award programs. A Paul Harris Award is made by the Rotary Foundation when $1,000 is contributed by, or for, a person to the Foundation. Henderson has 109 Paul Harris Fellows and 49 Sustaining Members. The first woman Paul Harris Fellow in our District 6710 is from Henderson.