Service club "the services", a common expression for the military or uniformed forces. In the Americas, these types of clubs are commonly known as veterans' organizations or veterans' fraternal groups. The world's first service club, the Rotary Club of Chicago, was formed in 1905 by Paul P. Harris, an attorney who wanted to create in a professional club with the same friendly spirit he had felt in the small towns of his youth. The Rotary name derived from the early practice of rotating meetings among members' offices. Many of these service clubs were started early in the 20th century, such as Kiwanis,
Valley Royals Track & Field Club were founded in 1980 by a group of parents who were unhappy with the direction of the Abbotsford Track Club; within five years, the original track club merged with the Royals. Initially a junior development organization, the Royals blossomed under the leadership of three founding members: Paul Anderson (their first president), Gerry Swan (their first and only head coach), and his wife Jane. Shortly after Jane Swan's death in 2004, the city of Abbotsford renamed Rotary Stadium as "Jane & Gerry Swan Track at Rotary Stadium", in recognition of their contributions to the sport of athletics and the Abbotsford community