Welcome to Cranbrook Rotary

Where We Have Fun Making the World A Better Place

The Cranbrook Rotary Club was established in 1922. Two Rotarians from Lethbridge, Art Baalim and Sam Hall, made the trip through the Crowsnest Pass on February 17^th, 1922 to swear in the first officers of our Club. Imagine making that road trip in 1922 through the narrow, winding, snowy roads. This was a big deal for these two men. The Cranbrook Rotary Club had 22 members to start, an amazing number of people in our community way back then who wanted to make Cranbrook a better place to live, raise a family and do business.

We were one of the earliest Rotary Clubs established in the world after Rotary was created on February 23, 1905. Today, there are 35,000 Rotary Clubs in almost every country on earth. Rotary is the first choice of people in communities around the world who want to give back to their community and build personal and professional relationships. These first 22 members were all men because that was the custom of the day. Today, our Club is a vibrant group of woman and men, young, older and in between. Rotary has changed a lot. We are no longer a room full of old white men smoking cigars. We’re a diverse group of happy people who enjoy getting together once a week when we can and working to improve life here in the East Kootenay. Attendance is important but not as important as it used to be before life became as complex as it is today. When you join Rotary, the most important thing is that you embrace the values of Rotary.

Our very first community project in 1922 was Rotary Park. Today, children play in the Rotary spray park. Families use the Rotary washrooms and enjoy the entertainment performed in the Rotary Band Shell erected a few year ago. There is now a legacy of community projects, including the zip line and Ridge Trail at Idlewide Park, the Rotary Way trail and the Rotary Scott Villa affordable housing complex. Today, we are busy planning a trail network at Moir Park to bring that beautiful park to life for walkers, joggers, parents with strollers, dog walkers and cross country skiers in winter. We need help with that project. Please consider joining us and helping make Cranbrook an even better community. Go to our Membership Page to check it out!

Cranbrook Rotary Meetings

Thursdays at noon. Zoom for now. Live luncheon meetings at the Heritage Inn, Cranbrook, when we can. Contact Us if you’d like to join one of our Zoom meetings