Rotary Club of Fallbrook celebrates 60 years

FALLBROOK — The Fallbrook Rotary Club recently celebrated its 60th anniversary at the Grand Tradition on March 20 with a packed house and a giant birthday cake. Nearly 100 members and guests were present as several long-term members spoke about the old days with the club. It was chartered in 1946 and met at the old Fallbrook High School cafeteria. As the club grew it met at the Fallbrook Woman’s Club, Masonic Lodge, Village Inn, Fallbrook Country Club and Pala Mesa Resort, and in 1986 it moved to its present location at the Grand Tradition.

Fallbrook Rotary has an impressive history of community and international service. Two of the most significant projects over the past 20 years have been providing college loans to area students and the club’s participation in a Rotary International drive to eliminate polio worldwide.

The club’s annual September fundraiser, “Lobster on the Green,” raises significant funds which go to benefit such local organizations as the Boys & Girls Clubs of North County, the Healthcare Foundation, 1000 Smiles, Library Building Fund, Land Conservancy and Art Assist.

In the “hands-on” department, Fallbrook Rotary Club is known for its ongoing programs of graffiti removal throughout the community, annual “Rotarians-at-Work” community projects, Highway Cleanup and manning special events for other organizations throughout the year. Through its active Interact Club at Fallbrook High, students and Rotarians sponsor many local and regional projects, the favorite of which is visiting and supplying orphanages in Baja California.