Ruritan began in Holland Virginia in 1928. Tom Downing, of Suffolk Va., and Jack Gwaltney, of Holland Va., are known as the co-founders of Ruritan. 

Downing and Gwaltney recognized the need for an organization where community leaders could meet and discuss ways to make their communities better places in which to live.

The name “Ruritan” was suggested by Daisy Nerney a reporter for the Virginian-Pilot newspaper in Norfolk, Va. The new organization unanimously adopted Ruritan for its name. 

Since then, the Ruritan tradition of local community service has expanded to include more than 26,000 Ruritan volunteers. This continued tradition has earned Ruritan the reputation of “America's Leading Community Service Organization” in more than a thousand communities across the Nation. 

Mission

Ruritan is dedicated to improving communities and building a better America through fellowship, goodwill, and community service. Club membership represents across section of the community the club serves and is available to all persons interested in their community. Unlike most service organizations, Ruritan has no national project or program; instead each club surveys the needs of its own community and then works to meet those needs.