About Rotary
What is Rotary?
Rotary is an organisation of business and professional persons united
worldwide who provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards
in all vocations, and help build goodwill and peace in the world. (This
31 word definition was adopted by Rotary International in 1976)
Rotary Clubs
Rotary Clubs are made up of professional people that provide humanitarian
services at local, national and international levels. Members are required
to encourage high ethical standards in all vocations and help to build
goodwill and peace in the world through fundraising and active involvement
in projects where appropriate.
Rotary
International
Rotary International is a collection of more than 31,000 Rotary clubs
located in 166 countries. There are approximately 1.2 million Rotarians
in these clubs. Rotary International is one of the world's largest service
organizations dedicated to supporting humanitarian projects on a global
scale. It sets the standards, goals and aspirations of all Rotary Clubs
and manages a range of international humanitarian projects which individual
clubs can support.
Rotary celebrated its Centenary Year in 2005
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:
1. The development of acquaintance as an opportunity for service.
2. The promotion of 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.
3. The application of the ideal of service in each Rotarian's 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.
Origin of Rotary
The first Rotary Club was formed in Chicago in 1905.
Rotary
Motto
"Service above Self" is the current Rotary motto. It was adopted
in 1989. The first motto was "He profits most who Serves Best".
This would be regarded as somewhat sexist nowadays!
SERVICE ABOVE SELF