Our History

Welcome to the Rotary Clubs of The Bahamas (RCOB), also known as Rotary Bahamas. The Rotary Clubs of The Bahamas comprise 10 Rotary clubs and 2 satellite clubs with over 500 members.

Rotary Clubs of The Bahamas is a part of a global network of 1.2 million Rotarians from 200 countries and geographical areas, whose goal is to impact lives around the world. Volunteers undertake community service projects under the motto “Service Above Self”.
Read more about Rotary International here: www.rotary.org

The Rotary Clubs, both jointly and on their own, have worked to fulfill Rotary’s motto of ‘Service Above Self’. Rotarians have worked with communities, individuals, civic associations and charities to help provide a better quality of life. Rotary Bahamas is part of Zone 34 and District 7020. This does not include the Rotary Clubs on the island of Grand Bahama which forms part of District 6990.
Read more about Rotary District 7020 here: www.7020.org

Rotary came to The Bahamas when Rotarian Jack Shillan, with sponsorship from the Rotary Club of South Miami, became the first president of the Rotary Club of Nassau, which was chartered on January 19, 1962. The Nassau Club sponsored the formation of the East Club (1963) to provide an alternate location for make-ups. This was followed by Abaco (1971), West Nassau (1975), South East (1976), New Providence (1988), Nassau Sunrise (2001), Eleuthera (2009), Cat Island (2009), Old Fort (2015) and South Ocean (2021). The Cat Island Rotary Club was disbanded but since 2021, RCOB’s second satellite club was established there by the Rotary Club of Nassau.  The first satellite club in RCOB and in District 7020, Rotary After Dark, was established by the Rotary Club of East Nassau in 2020.
Read more about Our Clubs here: www.rotarybahamas.org/our-clubs/

RI President 2024-25 Stephanie Urchick
District 7020 Governor 2024-25 Dominique Bazin

Our Structure

Rotary Clubs of The Bahamas is a part of a global network of 1.2 million Rotarians from 200 countries and geographical areas, whose goal is to impact lives around the world. Volunteers undertake community service projects under the motto “Service Above Self”.

Rotary is made up of three parts: Rotary clubs, Rotary International and The Rotary Foundation.  At the heart of Rotary are our clubs that are supported by Rotary International and The Rotary Foundation.

  • Rotary clubs bring together dedicated individuals to exchange ideas, build relationships, and take action.
  • Rotary International supports Rotary clubs worldwide by coordinating global programs, campaigns, and initiatives.
  • The Rotary Foundation, as a non-profit, uses generous donations from Rotarians and friends who share our vision of a better world to fund projects by Rotarians and our partners in communities around the world. Read more about Rotary Foundation Here

Together, Rotary clubs, Rotary International, and The Rotary Foundation work to make lasting improvements in our communities and around the world. #ServiceAboveSelf

Our Commitment

We are dedicated to seven areas of focus to create a better, peaceful world, improving communities and lives.

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. Today, polio remains endemic in 2 countries – down from 125 in 1988. With every project, we are changing the world for the better.