A Brief History of the Half Moon Bay Club
The Half Moon Bay Rotary Club
was formed in 1971 when a group of local business and community
leaders met and decided to apply for a charter as a Rotary club.
During that first decade the club could be characterized as
a traditional community service organization. There were
strong social ties among the members. There were frequent
fund-raising events to generate the monies necessary for scholarships.
There were occasional local community projects and most importantly,
there was a commitment to encouraging compliance with the ethical
and humanitarian principles for which Rotary stands.
In the Mid-'80s, there were two important and exciting developments.
The international Rotary organization changed its rules to permit
women as members and today almost half of the membership of
the Half Moon Bay Rotary Club is female. These new members,
beginning with Dr. Josefina Enriquez, brought new energy and
creativity into the club and contributed to its revitalization.
During this timeframe, the Rotary club made its first forays
into international service, traveling to Mexico to conduct medical
clinics. This was also when the idea for replicating international
service in our own community led to the creation of the RotaCare
medical clinic, which continues to this day providing free,
"no questions asked" medical care to those who would
otherwise not be served.
Half Moon Bay Rotary has been honored for its remarkable membership
growth, for its innovative community service projects both local
and international, and for the extraordinary commitment to international
service demonstrated by high levels of charitable contributions.
With all of the emphasis on making Half Moon Bay and the rest
of the world a better place, the club has not forgotten the
importance of promoting friendships and relationships
within the membership. Whether it be serving chowder bowls
at the Pumpkin Festival, playing volleyball and horseshoes at
the annual Labor Day picnic, dancing at the Spring Fling, or
sipping champagne in tuxedos and formal gowns at Rotary at the
Ritz, the Half Moon Bay Rotary Club is having fun while making
a difference.
