For more than 110 years, Rotary members have been addressing challenges around the world.
It started with the vision of one man — Paul Harris. The Chicago attorney formed the Rotary Club of Chicago on 23 February 1905, so professionals with diverse backgrounds could exchange ideas, form meaningful, lifelong friendships, and give back to their communities.
Rotary’s name came from the group’s early practice of rotating meetings among the offices of its members.
Rotary is made up of three parts: Our Clubs, Rotary International, and The Rotary Foundation.
Together, we work to make lasting change in our communities and around the world. The operations of Rotary International, a member organization, are overseen by its Board of Directors. Learn more about our structure and our leadership.
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. The Rotary motto is ‘Service Above Self’.
Although Rotary clubs develop autonomous service programs, all Rotarians worldwide are united in a campaign for the global eradication of polio. In the 1980s, Rotarians raised US$240 million to immunize the children of the world; by 2005, Rotary’s centenary year and the target date for the certification of a polio-free world, the PolioPlus program will have contributed US$500 million to this cause. In addition, Rotary has provided an army of volunteers to promote and assist at national immunization days in polio-endemic countries around the world.
Rotary was founded on principles that remain at the heart of the organization today. These principles reflect our core values — integrity, diversity, service, leadership, and fellowship, or friendship. Our core values emerge as themes in our guiding principles.
FIVE AVENUES OF SERVICE
We channel our commitment to service through five Avenues of Service, which are the foundation of club activity.
1. Club Service focuses on making clubs strong. A thriving club is anchored by strong relationships and an active membership development plan.
2. Vocational Service calls on all Rotarians to work with integrity and contribute their expertise to the problems and needs of society.
3. Community Service encourages every Rotarian to find ways to improve the quality of life of people in their communities and to serve the public interest.
4. International Service exemplifies our global reach in promoting peace and understanding. We support this avenue by sponsoring or volunteering on international projects, using local member expertise to build long-term partnerships for sustainable projects, seeking service partners abroad, and more.
5. Youth Service recognizes the importance of empowering youth and young professionals through leadership development programs such as Rotaract, Interact, Rotary Youth Leadership Awards, and Rotary Youth Exchange.
AREAS OF FOCUS
The causes we target to maximize our impact are called our areas of focus. Our most
successful and sustainable projects and activities fall within these areas. Through global
grants and other resources, we help clubs focus their service efforts in the following areas: