The Rotary...

Rotary is an organization of business and professional leaders united worldwide who provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and help build goodwill and peace in the world. Rotary club membership represents a cross section of the community's business and professional men and women. The world's Rotary clubs meet weekly and are nonpolitical, nonreligious, and open to all cultures, races, and creeds.

Mission Statement...

The mission of Rotary International is to support its member clubs in fulfilling the Object of Rotary by:

Fostering unity among member clubs;

Strengthening and expanding Rotary around the world

Communicating worldwide the work of Rotary; and

Providing a system of international administration

Object of Rotary...

The Object of Rotary is to encourage and foster the ideal of service as a basis of worthy enterprise and, in particular, to encourage and foster:

FIRST. The development of acquaintance as an opportunity for service;

SECOND. High ethical standards in business and professions, the recognition of the worthiness of all useful occupations, and the dignifying of each Rotarian's occupation as an opportunity to serve society;

THIRD. The application of the ideal of service in each Rotarian's personal, business, and community life;

FOURTH. The advancement of international understanding, goodwill, and peace through a world fellowship of business and professional persons united in the ideal of service.

Rotary Milestones...

1905 First Rotary club organized in Chicago, Illinois, USA

1908 Second club formed in San Francisco, California, USA

1910 First Rotary convention held in Chicago

1912 First club outside US formed in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

1917 Endowment fund, forerunner of The Rotary Foundation, established

1932 4-Way Test formulated by Chicago Rotarian Herbert J. Taylor

1945 Forty-nine Rotarians help draft United Nations Charter in San Francisco

1947 Rotary founder Paul Harris dies; first 18 Rotary Foundation scholarships granted

1962 First Interact club formed in Melbourne, Florida, USA

1965 Rotary Foundation launches Matching Grants and Group Study Exchange programs

1978 RI's largest convention, with 39,834 registrants, held in Tokyo

1985 Rotary announces PolioPlus program to immunize all the children of the world against polio

1989 Council on Legislation opens Rotary to women; Rotary clubs chartered in Budapest, Hungary, and Warsaw, Poland, for first time in almost 50 years

1990 Rotary Club of Moscow chartered first club in Soviet Union

1990-91 Preserve Planet Earth program inspires some 2,000 Rotary-sponsored environmental projects

1994 Western Hemisphere declared polio-free

1999 Rotary Centers for International Studies in Peace and Conflict Resolution established

2000 Western Pacific declared polio-free

2001 30,000th Rotary club chartered

Why Join the Rotary?...

Friendship: In an increasingly complex world, Rotary provides one of the most basic human needs: the need for friendship and fellowship. It is one of two reasons why Rotary began in 1905.

Business Development: The second original reason for Rotary's beginning is business development. Everyone needs to network. Rotary consists of a cross section of every business community. Its members come from all walks of life. Rotarians help each other and collectively help others.

Personal Growth and Development: Membership is Rotary continues one's growth and education in human relations and per sonal development.

Leadership Development: Rotary is an organization of leaders and successful people. Serving in Rotary positions is like a college education. Leadership: learning how to motivate, influence and lead leaders.

Citizenship in the Community: Membership in a Rotary club makes one a better community citizen. The average Rotary club consists of the most active citizens in any community.

Continuing Education: Each week at Rotary there is a program designed to keep one informed about what is going on in the community, nation and world. Each meeting provides an opportunity to listen to different speakers and a variety of timely topics.

Fun: Rotary is fun, a lot of fun. The club projects are fun. Social activities are fun. The service is fun.

Public Speaking Skills: Many individuals who joined Rotary were afraid to speak in public. Rotary develops confidence and skill in public communication and the opportunity to practice and perfect these skills.

Citizenship in the World: Every Rotarian wears a pin that says "Rotary International". There are few places on the globe that do not have a Rotary club. Every Rotarian is welcome even encourage - to attend any of the 29,000 clubs in 194 nations and geographical regions. This means instant friends in both one's own community and in the world community.

Assistance: When traveling: Because there are Rotary clubs everywhere, many a Rotarian in need of a doctor, hotel, dentist, advice, etc., while traveling has found assistance through Rotary.

Entertainment: Every Rotarian club and district has parties and activities that provide diversion in one's business life. Rotary holds conferences, conventions, assemblies and institutes that provide entertainment in addition to Rotary information, education, and service.

The Development of Social Skills: Every week and at a various events and functions, Rotary develops one's personality, social skills and people skills. Rotary is for people who like people.

Family Programs: Rotary provides one of the world's largest youth exchange programs: high school and college clubs for future Rotarians; opportunities for spouse involvement; and a host of activities designed to help family members in growth and the development of family values.

Vocational Skills: Every Rotarian is expected to take part in the growth and development of his or her own profession or vocation; to serve on committees and to teach youth about one's job or vocation. Rotary helps to make one better doctor, lawyer, teacher, etc.

The Development of Ethics: Rotarians practice a 4-Way Test that governs one's ethical standards. Rotarians are expected to be ethical in business and personal relationship.

Cultural Awareness: Around the world, practically every religion, country, culture, race, creed, political persuasion, language, color, and ethnic identity is found in Rotary. It is a cross section of the world's most prominent citizens from every background. Rotarians become aware of their cultures and learn to love and work with people everywhere. They become better citizens of their countries in the process.

Prestige: Rotary members are prominent people: leaders of business, the profession, art, government, sports, military, religion and all disciplines. Rotary is the oldest and most prestigious service club in the world. Its ranks include executives, managers, professionals - people who make decisions and influence policy.

Nice People: Rotarians are above all nice people - the nicest people on the face of the earth. They important people who follow the policy of it is nice to be important but it is important to be nice.

The Absence of an "Official Creed": Rotary has no secret handshake, no secret policy, no official creed, no secret meetings or rituals. It is an open society of men and women who simply believe in helping others.

The Opportunity to Serve: Rotary is a service club. Its business is mankind. Its product is service. Rotarians provide community service to both local and international communities. This perhaps the best reason for becoming a Rotarian: the chance to do something for somebody else and to sense the self-fulfillment that comes in the process and return to the satisfaction to one's own life. It is richly rewarding.

Becoming a Rotarian...

The goal for a club's membership is an up-to-date and progressive representation of the community's business, vocational, and professional interests. An important distinction between Rotary and other organizations is that membership in Rotary is by invitation. Rotary clubs invite individuals to join and become members. Membership is vital to a Rotary club's operations and community service activities.

Prospective members must:

hold or be retired from professional, proprietary, executive, or managerial position;

have the capacity to meet the club's weekly attendance or community project participation requirements;

live or work within the locality of the club or the surrounding area. Often a person being considered for membership is invited by a member/sponsor to attend one or more club meetings to learn more about Rotary. The sponsor may then submit the name of the candidate using the Membership Referral form to the club's membership committee. An individual who is interested in membership but doesn't know any Rotarians can contact any local club directly or fill up the Prospective Member Contact Form.

10 Ways to Destroy your Club...

Stay away from meetings

If you come, find fault

Decline appointment to a committee

Get angry if you are not nominated or appointed

After you are named to a committee, do not attend the meetings

If you do come to meetings, do not speak until after it is done, then criticize how things should have done

Do not do any club work if you can avoid it. When the old reliables pitch in to get the work done, accuse them of being a clique

Oppose all new programs as being waste of member's money

When nothing new happens, complain that the officers lack imagination

Read your club bulletin only now and then; then complain that you do not know what is going on