Like most Rotary clubs throughout the world, the Indianapolis Rotary club is involved in many projects. “Service Above Self” is our motto and we exist because it is our duty to help the community. Additionally, since we are a larger club, it gives us opportunities to provide volunteers and funding for both large and small projects in the community.

Read Forbes article (page 3) on our club and many other clubs doing good.

It Began With Many Ideas
Foreseeing the arrival of our 100th birthday to be celebrated on February 16, 2013, it was decided (by the Officers and Board of Directors) that we undertake a larger-than-normal community project, one that would have a large impact in our city and state.

We are familiar with raising funds to help our community. Most recently during a five-year campaign, we raised $1,000,000 for Riley Children’s Hospital in Indianapolis (named after the famed writer and Rotarian James Whitcomb Riley). This generated funds for the Riley Children’s Hospital and their “Family Lounge,” which is a safe and comfortable place for family to visit while their child is at Riley.

See the photos of the Gala Event.

For our 100th birthday, beginning in 2011 it was decided that ideas be submitted by the membership – to see what they would like to do for 2013, and a committee was developed to coordinate this effort. The committee assembled and put together three initiatives derived from many ideas submitted by the club membership. We then sent out requests for proposals open to local businesses and organizations. The committee attended site visits, determined the potential imapct the project may have within the community, the level of volunteer opportunity our club could realize and the eventual reach our club might gain in the effort.
In the end, it was decided we would undertake a project for Gleaners Food Bank, an organization responsible for feeding hundreds of thousands of hungry Hoosiers each year. Our club would raise 1.5 million dollars, help fund the building of a new Gleaners Food Bank that would house more food and have the ability to serve many more hungry citizens. Finally, the Gleaners Food Bank would be renamed to be the Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana, Rotary Club of Indianapolis Food Distribution Center. This goal was accomplished in January 2013.

Indianapolis Rotarians were very involved in this project throughout its tenure. Whether members pledged to donate funds or volunteer in efforts that related to the effort, we were a major donor in providing the community with the funding to help feed the hungry in Indianapolis and Indiana. Our “role” was to show the community that Rotary, as a collective can handle large fundraising endeavors to produce an excellent result that can sustain the effort for many years. And, that the community should consider us a resource for making Indianapolis a better place to live. Our Centennial Campaign logo was tag lined with “Building Indianapolis Communities for 100Years.” We believe this is an effort that worked the past 100 years and are charged with doing the next 100 years.

The measurable Impacts of our Centennial Project

• A Centennial Gala Celebration held on February 16, 2013,
• Our gala attracted many community leaders, District Governors and Rotarians, current District Governor Craig Sherman, Rotary International President Sakuji Tanaka and others including: Mayor Greg Ballard, Congressman Senator Mike Pence, Senator Dan Coats, Congressman Todd Rokita,
• One year of (tracked) volunteer service to the community that resulted in over 45,000 hours of (local) volunteer service by Rotarians, their families and friends. Our branding for this project was called “100 Years 100 Hours.” This project was maintained manually and digitally by Rotarians throughout 2012, and then recorded for the resulting numbers. We served over 400 organizations throughout Indianapolis and the globe,
• Reached a goal of $1,500,000 for the Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana, Rotary Club of Indianapolis Food Distribution Center,
• Created videos of both the Gala on February 16, 2013 and the Rotarian of the Century, this designated Senator Richard Lugar, longtime Rotarians of Indianapolis member – the “Rotarian of the Century,”
• New logo and marketing campaign that began in 2011 carried through February 2013 and continues to this day. This effort changed the overall branding and marketing for the club materials and now reaches a wide audience with the message that we are here to help the community,
• A Treasure Hunt was organized throughout the year using social media (Foursquare) that allowed for Rotarians to “Check-in” at all the Indianapolis landmarks (organizations, companies, etc.) that have been inexistence since the inception of our club in 1913. This brought about wide-spread awareness throughout our own club and community,
• A sponsorship program was developed in coordination with a local Billboard company to display a billboard design that would feature a Rotarian business in a congratulatory effort to our Centennial Celebration. This gave both the Rotary Club of Indianapolis AND the Rotary business lots of exposure during the 2 months leading up to the celebration. Our club sold nearly 20 of these billboards that were strategically placed through the Indianapolis area from January to March, 2013,
• Our club members were exposed to weekly reports (called History Minutes) that called upon events throughout our 100 years of existence. This was a unique opportunity to hear about services we may have performed, major events that may have occurred, large and small projects, and interesting facts about the Rotary Club of Indianapolis that many Rotarians and guests may not have known,
• Created professional videos (Rotarian, Brien Richmond) of both the Centennial Gala on February 16, 2013 and the Rotarian of the Century, which designated Senator Richard Lugar, longtime Rotarians of Indianapolis member – the “Rotarian of the Century.” These high definition videos are available for streaming to the public for viewing (https://vimeo.com/63155482 and https://vimeo.com/63155483),
• Finally, our club has gained lots of exposure from the news media and other Rotary clubs throughout Indiana and the country. As we begin to build our comprehensive report, we hope to be a consultant, when needed for other Rotary clubs celebrating milestones.

With hundreds of business profesionals, philanthropists and community leaders, the Rotary Club of Indianapolis remains a consistent and vital professional member organization in Indianapolis. We will continue to help the community for the next 100 years and beyond.