The Elizabethtown Rotary Club is part of ROTARY International, which is a worldwide organization of business and professional leaders that provides humanitarian service, encourages high ethical standards in all vocations, and helps build goodwill and peace throughout the world.
Rotary was founded in 1905 in Chicago and has since become a leading public service organization with over 1,200,000 Rotarians belonging to over 32,000 clubs in more than 200 countries and geographical areas. The motto "Service Above Self" expresses the aim of Rotary members.
The Elizabethtown Rotary Club was chartered February 23, 1935 . The Club had 15 charter members and today has 111 professional businessmen and women as members. The Elizabethtown Club was sponsored by the Lebanon Rotary Club (chartered November 18, 1923 ).
Rotary meetings are held each Tuesday at 12:00 Noon and finish promptly at 1:00 pm. The meetings are held at the Howard Johnson Elizabethtown located at the intersection of I-65 (exit 94) and Bardstown Road (US 62 East).

CLUB CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE WORLD COMMUNITY
Living Waters - Guatemala
- Founded in 2008 by Rotarians Bob Swope, Skip Dunford, Bill Handley, Peter Denton and others
- To date has raised funding and provided workers to install five clean water systems providing clean drinking water to over 6,000 inhabitants.

CLUB CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE COMMUNITY
Rotary Smiles
- Developed by Rotarian Rik Hawkins and former Rotary President Debbie Borden in 2009
- Provided dental screening for over 1300 Hardin County third grade students and treatment for those that did not have dental insurance.

Community Health Clinic of Hardin & Larue County
• Developed by local community leaders including Rotary member Dr. Bill Handley • In 2003 and 2004 Elizabethtown Rotary supported the Health Clinic as a major Community Service Project • All proceeds from the Rotary Fish Fry during the Heartland Festival went to the Health Clinic 2003 - $6000 2004 - $7000
Kentucky Harvest Backpack Program
• Developed by local community leaders including Rotary member James Doughty. • In 2008 Elizabethtown Rotary decided to support the Backpack Program as a major Community Service Project • 2008 Contribution - $6,500

SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM
Each year the club awards several scholarships to local students to help them further their education at a post-secondary school. The scholarships given are:
|
Scholarship Title
|
Target Group or School
|
Amount
|
|
GED
|
Hardin County Schools
|
$1000
|
|
Hays/Murray
|
Graduating Senior at Central Hardin High School
|
$1000
|
|
PAC Scholarship
|
PAC student
|
$1000
|
|
Jim Owen
|
Graduating Senior who will attend ECTC
|
$1000
|
|
Stone/Taylor
Harlan/Treadwell
|
Graduating Senior at Elizabethtown High School
Graduating Senior at John Hardin High School
|
$1000
$1000
|
|
Vocational
|
Student to attend ECTC
|
$500
|
|