About Rotary

Rotarrrry was founded on 23rd Feb 1905 by Paul Harris (lawyer), Silvester Schiele (coal dealer), Gus Loehr (mining engineer) & Hiram Shorey (merchant tailor) met in Gus’ office in the Unity Building at 127 North Dearborn St, Chicago. Gus was Chicago’s 1st President. To Serve Rotary is an international humanitarian service organization. The men and women of Rotary are business and professional leaders who volunteer their time and resources to help others in their local communities and throughout the world. Rotary clubs carry out a variety of service projects that address critical issues including poverty,including poverty, hunger, illiteracy, substance abuse, and pollution.


Service to youth, especially children at risk, is a major emphasis. Working with and for tomorrow’s leaders, Rotary sponsors service clubs for youth and young adults and offers career development and mentoring programs. To Innovate Where need exists, Rotary works to find solutions. Nonpolitical and nongovernmental, Rotary clubs are autonomous and create innovative solutions to meet community needs. Rotary members improve the quality of life through routine child immunization projects, medical and dental clinics, and the construction of safe water and sanitation systems.Clubs also work for peaceful communities by organizing violence-prevention projects. Rotarians attack the problem of illiteracy through programs that strengthen primary, vocational and adult education, and teacher training.


Whether standing at the forefront of an international health campaign or mounting a massive literacy initiative, Rotary rallies the tools and know-how to successfully lead the way to change. To Give Rotary members dedicate their time, skills, expertise, and myriad other resources toward improving the human condition. Club members support international projects through the programs of The Rotary Foundation.The Foundation was created in 1917 for the purpose of doing good in the world, and is supported almost entirely by member contributions. Rotary Foundation humanitarian grants support projects that provide health care and supplies, clean water, food, job training, and education — particularly in the developing world. Large-scale Health, Hunger and Humanity (3-H) Grants support sustainable projects that help others help themselves. Rotary members also contribute their technical expertise and compassion. Each year more than 200 grants fund Rotary volunteers in 50 countries. To Exchange Rotary promotes cultural understanding and brings people together, even when they live worlds apart. Rotary’s exchange programs foster the free flow of ideas and opportunities across national borders.Through Rotary, youth, scholars, and professionals experience the culture and people of another land — and return home to share their new understanding with others.


Some 7,000 secondary-school students participate annually in short- or long-term Rotary Youth Exchanges. The Rotary Foundation’s Ambassadorial Scholarships program is the world’s largest privately funded international scholarships program. More than 30,000 students from 100 countries have studied abroad as Rotary scholars. The Group Study Exchange program pairs Rotary districts in different countries to send and receive non-Rotary study groups comprised of young professionals. To Immunize Eradicating polio is a top Rotary priority which requires the immunization of every child under 5 in the world. As a result of the efforts of Rotary and its global partners, more than one billion children have been immunized against polio since 1985. Rotary members will have given approximately US$500 million to the campaign by the year 2005, the target date for certification of a polio-free world.


Through The Rotary Foundation’s PolioPlus program, more than one million Rotary volunteers from around the globe have contributed to the success of polio eradication efforts. Rotary is the key private-sector partner in this international health effort. Public-sector partners include the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Serving Through membership Rotary is service-driven. Belonging to a Rotary club gives men and women an organized outlet for contributing to their community.

• Founded in 1905, Rotary is the world’s first service organization. The Rotary motto is “Service Above Self” —Rotary concerns itself with truth, fairness, improved relationsbetween people and world peace. The avenues of Rotary service include communityand international volunteerism through club activity and the promotion of ethics inall vocations.
• Rotary members meet weekly to plan service activities. Rotary clubs are autonomousand determine their own service projects based on local needs and the interests and abilities of members.
• Rotary clubs are nonreligious, nongovernmental and open to every race, culture andcreed. Club membership represents a crosssection of local business and professional leaders.