History of Rotary

The world's first service club, the Rotary Club of Chicago, Illinois, USA, was formed on 23 February 1905 by Paul P. Harris, an attorney who wished to recapture in a professional club the same friendly spirit he had felt in the small towns of his youth. The name "Rotary" derived from the early practice of rotating meetings among members' offices.

Rotary's popularity spread throughout the United States in the decade that followed; clubs were chartered from San Francisco to New York. By 1921, Rotary clubs had been formed on six continents, and the organization adopted the name Rotary International a year later.

As Rotary grew, its mission expanded beyond serving the professional and social interests of club members. Rotarians began pooling their resources and contributing their talents to help serve communities in need. The organization's dedication to this ideal is best expressed in its principal motto: Service Above Self. Rotary also later embraced a code of ethics, called The 4-Way Test, that has been translated into hundreds of languages.

During and after World War II, Rotarians became increasingly involved in promoting international understanding. In 1945, 49 Rotary members served in 29 delegations to the United Nations Charter Conference. Rotary still actively participates in UN conferences by sending observers to major meetings and promoting the United Nations in Rotary publications. Rotary International's relationship with the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) dates back to a 1943 London Rotary conference that promoted international cultural and educational exchanges. Attended by ministers of education and observers from around the world, and chaired by a past president of RI, the conference was an impetus to the establishment of UNESCO in 1946.
An endowment fund, set up by Rotarians in 1917 "for doing good in the world," became a not-for-profit corporation known as The Rotary Foundation in 1928. Upon the death of Paul Harris in 1947, an outpouring of Rotarian donations made in his honor, totaling US$2 million, launched the Foundation's first program — graduate fellowships, now called Ambassadorial Scholarships. Today, contributions to The Rotary Foundation total more than US$80 million annually and support a wide range of humanitarian grants and educational programs that enable Rotarians to bring hope and promote international understanding throughout the world.

In 1985, Rotary made a historic commitment to immunize all of the world's children against polio. Working in partnership with nongovernmental organizations and national governments thorough its PolioPlus program, Rotary is the largest private-sector contributor to the global polio eradication campaign. Rotarians have mobilized hundreds of thousands of PolioPlus volunteers and have immunized more than one billion children worldwide. By the 2005 target date for certification of a polio-free world, Rotary will have contributed half a billion dollars to the cause.

As it approached the dawn of the 21st century, Rotary worked to meet the changing needs of society, expanding its service effort to address such pressing issues as environmental degradation, illiteracy, world hunger, and children at risk. The organization admitted women for the first time (worldwide) in 1989 and claims more than 145,000 women in its ranks today. Following the collapse of the Berlin Wall and the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Rotary clubs were formed or re-established throughout Central and Eastern Europe. Today, 1.2 million Rotarians belong to some 31,000 Rotary clubs in 166 countries.

What is Rotary?

Rotary works to improve the quality of life for all people.

Rotary is an international service organization of 1.2 million business and professional men and women who, as volunteers, address needs of their home and international communities.

Rotary exists to do good in the world. Rotary initiates local and international service projects to promote world understanding and peace and improve the life conditions for people of all ages and cultures. An example is PolioPlus through which Rotary is working to eradicate polio by the year 2005.

Rotary's strength lies in the volunteer service of its membership, an international network of business and professional leaders implementing a wide range of programs to meet human needs.

Rotarians are men and women of integrity who represent a cross-section of business and professional backgrounds. As volunteers of all ages, they work to meet community and international concerns.

Rotary's strength is that it is both international and local. For example, today's critical problems, such as health and sanitation, hunger, and environmental deterioration, must be addressed at local levels. With more than 29,000 clubs serving communities in 162 countries, Rotary is ideally suited to addressing such problems.

Through PolioPlus, Rotary leads private sector participation in the global effort to eradicate polio. The value of the half-billion-dollar program by 2005 is multiplied by the thousands of volunteers working in more than 100 countries to support childhood immunization.

Rotary's volunteer and financial assistance in vaccination efforts means polio will disappear in nation after nation, and region after region. Polio eradication will not occur until the disease disappears from all nations and all regions.

Rotary's community-based leadership in target countries was a deciding factor in the World Health Assembly's goal of polio eradication. Rotary International is the key private partner in the global fight to eradicate polio.

Rotary Facts

The world's first service club was the Rotary Club of Chicago, Illinois, USA. The club was formed 23 February, 1905 by lawyer Paul P. Harris and three friends -- a merchant, a coal dealer, and a mining engineer. Harris wished to recapture the friendly spirit he had felt among businesspeople in the small town where he had grown up. The name 'Rotary' was derived from the early practice of rotating meetings among member's offices.
Mission

The main objective of Rotary is service -- in the community, in the workplace, and throughout the world. Rotarians build goodwill and peace, provide humanitarian service, and encourage high ethical standards in all vocations. The Rotary motto is 'Service Above Self.'
Membership

Rotarians are professional men and women who work as volunteers to improve the quality of life in their home and world community. Club membership represents a cross-section of local business and professional leaders. The world's Rotary clubs meet weekly and are non-political, non-religious and open to all cultures, races, and creeds.

There are approximately 1.2 million Rotarians working in some 29,000 Rotary clubs in 160 countries and 35 geographical regions worldwide.

First admitted in 1987, women are the fastest-growing segment of Rotary's membership. There are nearly 2,000 women club presidents and women are rapidly assuming regional leadership roles.
Service Today

Rotarians initiate community projects that address many of today's most critical issues, such as violence, drug abuse, youth, AIDS, hunger, the environment, and illiteracy. Rotary clubs are autonomous and determine service projects based on local needs.

Rotarians work with and for youth to address challenges facing young people today.

Through participation in Rotary-sponsored Interact clubs (for secondary school students), Rotaract clubs (for young adults), and Rotary Youth Leadership awards, young people worldwide learn leadership skills and the importance of community service.

Rotary Youth Exchange gives high school students the opportunity to broaden their world view and build international friendships.

Rotarians have a history of building safe communities and working for peace. In the world's cities, where urban violence has become rampant, Rotary has the community-based network to help prevent unrest. Rotary-sponsored violence prevention projects and conferences address the root causes of violence such as drug abuse, poverty, lack of role models, and gangs.

The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International provides an opportunity for Rotarians to work for international understanding and peace. Through their Foundation, Rotarians sponsor international educational and humanitarian programs.

PolioPlus is Rotary's commitment to eradicating polio by the year 2005. Through the efforts of Rotary and its partners in the fight against polio, more than one billion children worldwide have been immunized since 1985. In 1996, 154 nations reported no cases of polio, up from 85 when PolioPlus began. By the year 2005 Rotarian contributions will reach a half billion US dollars to eradicate the crippling disease. Of equal significance is the huge volunteer army mobilized by Rotary International for social mobilization, vaccine transport and immunization activities.

Rotary's international network helps link people in need with Rotarians in other countries that can provide resources. The Foundation's humanitarian programs provide health care and supplies, clean water, food, job training, and education -- particularly in the developing world.

The Rotary Foundation's educational programs include Ambassadorial Scholarships, the world's largest privately-funded source of international scholarships. Nearly 1,300 scholarships are awarded annually for study in another land. Grants are also awarded for university teachers to serve in developing countries and for exchanges of professionals.