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The Rotary Club of Grimsby was chartered in May-1976, and is one of a global network of 46,000+ Rotary clubs and over 1.4 million individuals worldwide. We are located in Rotary District 7090 which includes 66 Rotary clubs across southern Ontario and Western New York.
Our members include a diverse group of business, professional and community leaders and like all clubs, we provide service to others less fortunate than ourselves, promote integrity, and work to advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through projects that create lasting change in our backyard and across the world. Through Rotary International and Rotary Foundation, the club supports international infrastructure and medical-support projects.
Our recent local-service and community-support projects and fundraisers including the annual Fantasy of Trees and Santa Day events at the Grimsby Museum, Pedal for Polio, the Great Lakes Watershed Cleanup, Holiday Cards for Seniors, Migrant Farm Workers Dinners, Donate-and-Dine, Adopt-a-Road, Food Bank contributions, Paul Harris Fellow awards and more. With our fundraisers, the club supports over 11 local registered charities.
Grimsby is an incorporated town located on the south shores of Lake Ontario in the Niagara Region of Ontario, Canada. The majority of our residents reside in the area bounded by Lake Ontario and the Niagara Escarpment, which is home to a section of the Bruce Trail.
The Mississaugas of Credit First Nation were the first people who lived on Grimsby’s land. A group of United Empire Loyalists from Great Britain settled on the land in 1790 to make Grimsby “founded”. Robert Nelles, a politician and later lieutenant-colonel in the War of 1812, was one of the town’s founders. His manor on Main Street West was used for many planning sessions during the war and is still in existence today.
The Village of Grimsby was officially incorporated in 1876, officially became a town in 1922, and celebrated its 100th anniversary as a town in 2022. Both the Town of Grimsby and the Township of North Grimsby were amalgamated in 1970 with the formation of the Regional Municipality of Niagara. The area was known as the heart of the Fruit Growing Area of Canada and was and still-is especially known for peaches. Fruit was shipped throughout Canada and Europe from Grimsby.
The Grimsby community in the past 2 decades has experienced significant growth as the midpoint between Hamilton and St. Catharines; with growth being limited by the natural boundaries of the lake and the escarpment. Our current population is in excess of 27,000.
The town’s services include the Grimsby Museum, the Grimsby Art Gallery and Public Library and the Peach King Centre, which is the home of the Grimsby Peach Kings of the Provincial Junior Hockey League.
With a number of wineries and distilleries, Grimsby now serves as the starting point for touring the Niagara wine region.
The Fantasy of Trees has been a Rotary Club of Grimsby annual fundraiser for 22 years. Our mission is to raise money for local groups and not-for-profit organizations.
The Rotary Club of Grimsby has contributed to various local causes and projects for 50 years in Grimsby, raising funds for local charities that support local residents. The Fantasy of Trees is the club’s signature annual event and the raffle proceeds go to help 11 local registered charities.
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Rotary strives to create and maintain an experience for members and participants that reflects our fundamental values, empowers people to contribute at their fullest potential, and celebrates people as they are, inclusive of all cultures, experiences, and identities.
Our core values – service-above-self, fellowship, diversity, integrity, and leadership – align with our commitment to foster a diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment for all. The Rotary diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) statement can be found HERE.