No history of our Club would be complete without mention of two of our largest fundraising events. Our oldest event is the now-famous Chicken Barbecue held the first Wednesday of each August at the Gaylord Hospital grounds. It was started by Harold Dederick in 1949 when he was Gaylord Farm Manager and President of the Club. It has now grown to serve over 2000 people each year under huge tents with a long history of entertainment, including tag sales, auctions, hay- rides, square dancing, and various musicians. The entire Club participates in a well-orchestrated dinner for the community of Wallingford. As one would expect, the day is a great deal of fun as well as work, with the barbecue pit crew providing entertaining pranks for all.
Fifteen years ago the Club also organized the Jim Backes Memorial Racquetball Tournament. This three-day tournament attracts racquetball players from throughout the northeast, and is a major event. Jim Backes, in whose honor we hold this fundraiser, was a lifelong Wallingford resident. He was an active Rotarian from 1964 until his untimely death in 1989. Through these events and others, we raise thousands of dollars each year to help support our gifts to dozens of local charities, individuals, and institutions. Commencing in 2006 with the closing of Healthworks the usual venue for this tournament, the event was transformed into the Jim Backes Memorial (Golf) Tournament.
All funds are administered by The Wallingford Foundation which was established by the Wallingford Rotary in 1966 as the charitable arm of the Club. The Wallingford Foundation is the pride of our Club because it is the only major foundation in Central Connecticut that is a 100% volunteer effort. There are no administrative or operating expenses whatsoever, as all fundraising, accounting, legal, printing and management services are donated. The Trustees of the Foundation are the five immediate past presidents of the Club. Over the past three decades, grants exceeding $274,000 have been made to over ninety worthwhile causes and needy individuals, and the Foundation now has about $775,000 in assets. We have been a strong supporter of the World Wide Polio-Plus Campaign of Rotary International, the local YMCA, Boys & Girls Club, VNA, Boy and Girl Scouts, Newington Hospital, Jr. Republic, Key Clubs, United Fund, capital projects at Gaylord and VMMC and YWCA plus thousands of dollars to local students for scholarships to college are some of the recipients of our grants. All gifts exemplify our motto of "Service above Self". Our contributions to Rotary International and Paul Harris Fellows program help support world-wide grants and gifts to many Student Exchanges and Fellowships.
