Lansing Area's Largest Rotary Club
Steve Japinga, Senior VP of Public Affairs
Jul 11, 2025
for the Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce
Service Projects
Our service projects are at the heart of who we are as an organization.
The projects we choose reflect our mission of Service Above Self and are projects we feel will have a significant impact on the community at the time of their completion and well into the future. It's important to us as an organization that our projects have a long-term impact on Lansing and its residents.
The first tracked Rotary Club donations were made in 1917/18 to the Belgium Children's Milk Relief Fund and to the Red Cross for a total of $502.
Since then, we have been a part of many notable projects both locally and nationally.
We meet at Lansing Community College, in the Michigan Room located at 600 North Grand Avenue, park in the Gannon Ramp. Luncheon starts at noon, bell rings at 12:30 p.m.
We are grateful to the following Rotarians and their spouses who have made this significant commitment that will be transformational to our Club's grantmaking - forever! They have designated The Rotary Club of Lansing Foundation Endowment in memory of Jack Bates at the Community Foundation in their estate plan or made a cash gift of $10,000 or more to this fund. These members are part of our Legacy Society:
Ted Abrahms
Jack & Margaret Bates
Ken Beachler
Bill & Marilyn Cochran
Robert Fisher
Kurt & Barbara Guter
Mark & Marci Hooper
Heidi McNaughton
Helen & Charles Mickens
Irv Nichols
George & Marilyn Nugent
A Rich History of Lansing
In 1916, the Rotary Club of Lansing was formed. It is now one of the largest Rotary Clubs in the State of Michigan with over 200 members contributing to the club, the community, the nation and the world.
The legacy of The Rotary Club of Lansing continues because of the deep foundation established by generations of Rotarians who all share the same core values today that were held by the founders of Rotary, both locally in 1916 and in Chicago in 1906. The club’s commitment to this community continues through the local and international projects it completes. Members are committed to a mission that puts Service Above Self, turns business leaders into community leaders, and impacts communities in a significant and meaningful way.
Rotary Foundation
To honor their promise of “Service Above Self,” Rotarians support charitable endeavors of importance that make a positive impact on the city, the nation, and the world.
The Rotary Club of Lansing Foundation established the source of revenue for these charitable efforts. As the philanthropic arm of the Lansing Rotary Club, the Foundation has provided over $2,000,000 in grants for local and international projects due to the generosity of Rotarians. When donations are made to projects in the community, the country, or internationally, they are made through the foundation.