Fort Trotta is a playground designed and constructed by Phil & Peter Wells, along with some help from family members. Located in Palm Beach, Florida, this project was constructed between November 19th and 24th, 2017.

Starting as a small Chicago-based local organization in 1905, Rotary Club was originally designed to bring together professionals with diverse backgrounds for the exchange of ideas and the formation of meaningful, lifelong friendships. Since then, Rotary International has grown into a global network of 35,000+ local clubs that unite community leaders to tackle some of the world’s most persistent issues.

Wells Mountain Initiative (WMI) was founded in 2005 with the goal of helping young people in the developing world by leveling the global playing field for education, opportunity, and justice. In the time since, around 500 people from over 45 countries have been given a chance to chase their dreams and attend tertiary education with the help of WMI.

Wells Architecture delivers monthly to seniors in the Park Ridge and Hillsdale area, helping to make sure that local seniors have the food and social interactions that they need to stay healthy.

The Little Free Library is a worldwide phenomenon following the “take a book, leave a book” policy, developed by a member of the Rotary Club, Mr. Todd Bol. The concept is simple: construct an outdoor display case where the public has access to it, fill it with books, and let the people do the rest. It’s an honor system that has proven itself time and time again in a ton of different communities, and in many cases bringing readily available literature to areas that have never had access to books.

Through a partnership of the YMCA d’Haiti, the Ridgewood YMCA, the Wells Mountain Foundation, and Rotary Club, 12 containers of clothes and supplies were delivered to Haiti in early 2011, being distributed to those affected by the earthquakes through 2013. At 8’x8’x40’, these containers were too big of a potential resource to be sent back to the US after they’d been emptied. This partnership of humanitarian aid instead purchased the containers so they could remain in Haiti and be put to good use.

1.3 million children are born every year with a heart defect and 93% of them are born in a country that cannot afford the cardiac care they need. Gift of Life International works day and night to do as much as they can to care for as many of these children as possible. Established in 1975, Gift of Life saved their 10,000th child in 2008. Now, that number is over 38,000 and accounts for children from 80 countries across 5 continents.

A big Rotary project that Peter Wells and his family have been involved in is called Youth Exchange. The areas of focus that it falls into are promoting peace and supporting education. Just like in the movies, this program is where students from around the globe swap places with each other for a school year to experience a whole new culture. During the 1999 to 2000 school year, the Wells family hosted a young girl from Venezuela named Laura.