What is Rotary?

Rotary is an opportunity to build lifelong friendships and experience the personal fulfillment of providing volunteer service to others.

An organization of business and professional leaders. Rotary provides humanitarian service, encourages high ethical standards in all vocations, and builds goodwill and peace in the world.
 

Objective of Rotary

Is to encourage and foster the ideal of service as a basis of worthy enterprise and, in particular, to encourage and foster:

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

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

3. The application of the ideal of service by every Rotarian to his personal, business and community life;

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

The four Avenues of Service

Club Service

Service to and within one's club. It is the cornerstone of Rotary service and makes the Rotary wheel turn, assuring that all club members work well together. It seeks to promote the spirit of fellowship in which every service should be rendered inside as well as outside the club.

Vocational Service

Requires clubs to undertake projects that will improve the quality of lfe in the workplace, provide carrier guidance and training programs for young people and other prospective workers and recognize the worthiness of all useful occupations.

Community Service

Pertains to those activities which Rotarians undertake to improve the quality of life in their community. Clubs sponsor such activities as community beautification, drug abuse prevention, aid to the elderly and leadership training for youth.

International Service

This is the area that Rotary has truly excelled and is a positive and consistent force for world understanding and peace.
 

History of Rotary International

It began on the evening of February 23, 1905 when a young lawyer, Paul Harris, met with three friends to discuss the idea of a club whose membership would be limited to one representative from each business or profession. The weekly meetings would rotate (hence the name ROTARY CLUB) around the member's places of business to acquaint then with one another's vocation and to promote business.
 

Rotary at a Glance

(As of April 19, 1996)
 

1,188,172	ROTARIANS
28,018	ROTARY CLUBS
515	DISTRICTS
154	COUNTRIES
34	GEOGRAPHICAL AREAS

 

Four Way Test

The Four way test is an important part of the ROTARY CLUB The test is not a code or cree, but a stimulus to self appraisal. It is not a pledge, but rather a spring board to voluntary self improvement "service above self"

Of the things we say or do

1. Is it the TRUTH?

2. Is it FAIR to all concerned?

3.Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?

4.Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?

Sources

The above is only a brief introduction to Rotary and is only a supplement to the Rotary Startup Kit and the Rotary International Web Site.
 

 

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LAST UPDATED: 2000/07/16

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