We are neighbors, community leaders, and global citizens uniting for the common good.

The Present
District 7530 (northern half of West Virginia (WV)) is one of the smallest Districts in terms of number of clubs and members in all of Rotary International (RI).  The District comprises 27 counties (49% of all WV counties) with a 2010 Census population of 745,197 (40% of total WV 2010 Census population).  The largest county has a population of 96,180 and is served by four Clubs.  The smallest county has a population of 5,717 and has no Clubs.  Every county with a population in excess of 10,000, except one, has a Club.  Additionally, District 7530 has a vibrant E-Club.  Like much of Appalachia, District 7530 has been hit hard economically for the past several decades.  Traditional industries and businesses are in a steady, and sometimes rapid, decline.  This has had a predictable ripple effect on our small-town business communities (the traditional recruiting ground for Rotary), which basically no longer exist in many areas of the District.

Despite this, District 7530 currently comprises 30 energetic Clubs (including our E-Club) with 1,100+ members.  This is a District of small, rural Clubs; 68% of the Clubs have less than 41 members.

The following counties are part of District 7530:  Barbour, Braxton, Brooke, Calhoun, Doddridge, Gilmer, Hancock, Harrison, Jackson, Lewis, Marion, Marshall, Mason, Monongalia, Ohio, Pleasants, Preston, Randolph, Ritchie, Roane, Taylor, Tucker, Tyler, Upshur, Wetzel, Wirt and Wood.

Join Leaders
Connect with leaders from not just your community and across northern West Virginia, but all continents, cultures, and occupations.

Explore Rotary Clubs
The heart of Rotary is our Clubs—dedicated people who share a passion for community service, networking, and friendship.  Our Clubs meet at breakfast, lunch, dinner, and virtually.  You can find a Club where you can practice “Service Above Self!”

Develop Leadership Skills
Whether you’re a student, starting your career, or mid-career, there are many ways Rotary can help you become a better leader.

Exchange Ideas
Expand your network – and your worldview.

Share Diverse Perspectives
Rotary brings together great minds from nearly everywhere in the world.

Advance Your Education
From college scholarships to our renowned Peace Fellowships, Rotary supports the educational aspirations of thousands of future leaders.

Discover New Cultures
Explore the world through our global network.

Take Action
Help us create lasting change in communities across northern West Virginia and around the world.

Explore Our Causes
We’re committed to taking on some of the world’s most pressing challenges.

Join a Project
Change your community with us by volunteering on a local project.

Partner With Us
We work with groups of all sizes to accomplish even more.
Ready to make history with us?  Get involved?  Become a member?  Contact us to start your Rotary Journey:
Contact District Governor, David K. Whalen; or our Membership Chair, Jody Lynn Light.

Rotary’s History
Our 1.2 million-member organization started with the vision of one man—Paul P. Harris.  The Chicago attorney formed one of the world’s first service organizations, the Rotary Club of Chicago, on February 23, 1905, as a place where professionals with diverse backgrounds could exchange ideas and form meaningful, lifelong friendships. Rotary’s name came from the group’s early practice of rotating meetings among the offices of each member.  Rotary started in northern West Virginia in 1915, with the chartering of the Wheeling Club, still our District’s largest Club.  Our newest “bricks and mortar” Club was chartered in Cameron in 2013.  Additionally, we have one of the Rotary world’s first E-Clubs, chartered in 2012.

Our Ongoing Commitment
Rotarians have not only been present for major events in history—we’ve been a part of them.  From the beginning, three key traits have remained strong throughout Rotary:

• We’re truly international. Only 16 years after being founded, Rotary had clubs on six continents.  Today we’re working together from around the globe both digitally and in-person to solve some of our world’s most challenging problems.
• We persevere in tough times. During WWII, Rotary clubs in Germany, Austria, Italy, Spain, and Japan were forced to disband.  Despite the risks, many continued to meet informally and following the war’s end, Rotary members joined together to rebuild their clubs and their countries.
• Our commitment to service is ongoing. We began our fight against polio in 1979 with a project to immunize 6 million children in the Philippines.  By 2015, only two countries remain polio-endemic—down from 125 in 1988.

Notable Rotarians
Rotarians are your neighbors, your community leaders and some of the world’s greatest history-makers:

• Warren G. Harding, U.S. president
• Jean Sibelius, Finnish composer
• Dr. Charles H. Mayo, co-founder of Mayo Clinic
• Guglielmo Marconi, Italian inventor of the wireless radio and Nobel laureate
• Thomas Mann, German novelist and Nobel laureate
• Friedrich Bergius, German chemist and Nobel laureate
• Admiral Richard E. Byrd, American explorer
• Jan Masaryk, foreign minister of Czechoslovakia
• H.E. Soleiman Frangieh, president of Lebanon
• Dianne Feinstein, U.S. senator
• Manny Pacquaio, Filipino world-champion boxer and congressman
• Richard Lugar, U.S. senator
• Frank Borman, American astronaut
• Edgar A. Guest, American poet and journalist
• Sir Harry Lauder, Scottish entertainer
• Franz Lehar, Austrian composer
• Lennart Nilsson, Swedish photographer
• James Cash Penney, founder of JC Penney Co.
• Carlos Romulo, UN General Assembly president
• Sigmund Sternberg, English businessman and philanthropist
• David McKinley, U.S. congressman from northern West Virginia