Welcome to the Keene Elm City Rotary Club
Spreading joy and well-being through service, connection, and community.

Founded in 1990, the Keene Elm City Rotary Club is proud to be a member of Rotary International District 7870. With more than 60 dedicated members, we bring our skills, experience, and resources together to live out the Rotary ideal of “Service Above Self.”

Our Vision
Together, we see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change in the Monadnock Region. We foster vibrant communities where children and families thrive, promoting health, well-being, and joy through dynamic service and strong relationships.

Since 2012, our signature fundraising event—the Clarence DeMar Marathon & Half Marathon—has supported our core mission of meeting the needs of local youth. Proceeds from the DeMar races directly benefit programs and initiatives that encourage healthy lifestyles, education, and opportunity for children in our region.

As a hands-on club, service is at the heart of what we do. Our initiatives include:

  • Follow ME (Move Everyday) Sneaker Project – Inspiring Monadnock Region children to embrace daily movement by providing New Balance sneakers and promoting the Kids DeMar.

  • Global Service – Supporting communities in El Salvador and Puerto Rico with our Monadnock Interact program and the Greater Keene Rotaract Club.

  • Local Outreach – Volunteering for meal service and holiday basket deliveries with the Keene Community Kitchen.

  • Environmental and Civic Engagement – Participating in roadside clean-up, maintaining a Keene Rail Trail pocket park, and supporting numerous area nonprofits and scholarships.

We are a club built on friendship, purpose, and action—where service is joyful, meetings are fun, and every member has a place to make a difference.

 
Our club takes part in a wide range of community service projects and helps support other nonprofits in the Monadnock region through its allocation fund.
 
 
The Keene Elm City Rotary club is active in encouraging, fostering and participating in the advancement of understanding and goodwill among peoples of the world.
 
The Clarence DeMar Marathon/ Half-Marathon is our annual community health and fundraising event. Our full marathon is a Boston Marathon qualifier. We also have a Kids DeMar (grades 1-5) and Super Seniors (70+) component where runners log 25 miles over the course of the summer and run the last 1.2 miles on race day.
Thank You To Our 2022 Clarence DeMar Marathon Sponsors
DeMar Level
 
   
 
 
Qualifier Level
 
 
Cheshire Medical Center Dartmouth Hitchcock logoCheshire Medical Center Dartmouth Hitchcock logo 
 
 
 
Half Marathon Level
 
                                      
 
 
 
Water Station Level
 
                                                             
 
                Tom & Babs Putnam            
  
 
 
 
Kids DeMar Level
 
                      
                         
                      
 
                  
 
 
Course Level
 

Tim Small Sales, LLC        S&S Painting        The Kingsbury Fund        Franklin Pierce University         Swanzey Oil        Keating Plumbing and Heating        Matthew Snow of Primerica Keene         Lab 'n Lager        Ferguson & Alexander, CPA PC        Ciardelli Fuel Co. Inc.        NH Forge, Inc.        ReMax Town & Country        Glenn & Laurie Lamothe        Kapiloff Insurance        Korvin Appliance        Swanzey Homestead Offices

 

Friend Level

Quality Care Collision        Law Office of Pamela P. Little, PLLC        Nancy Petrillo        Monadnock Conservancy        Rich and Karen Shea Dufresne        Davis Oil         Keene Elks Lodge #927, in memory of Albion Ellis Sr.         Beth and Woody Woods        Northwestern Mutual Insurance        Lawrence McAuliffe