Meetings
What is Rotary?
Fun, Fellowship, Networking and Service
“Together, we see a world where people unite
and take action to create lasting change across the globe,
in our communities, and in ourselves.”
Rotary is a global network of 1.2 million neighbours, friends, leaders, and problem-solvers who come together to make positive, lasting change in communities at home and abroad.
Solving real problems takes real commitment and vision. For more than 115 years, Rotary members have used their passion, energy, and intelligence to take action on sustainable projects. From literacy and peace to water and health, we are always working to better our world, and we stay committed to the end.
Our motto: Service Above Self
For more than 110 years, our guiding principles have been the foundation of our values: service, fellowship, diversity, integrity, and leadership.
Rotarians apply The Four-Way Test,
to the things we think, say and do
1- Is it the TRUTH?
2- Is it FAIR?
3- Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?
4- Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?
What we do
Rotary members believe that we have a shared responsibility to take action on our world’s most persistent issues. Our 35,000+ clubs work together to:
- Promote peace
- Fight disease
- Provide clean water, sanitation, and hygiene
- Save mothers and children
- Support education
- Grow local economies
We make a difference at home and around the world: Our members can be found in your community and across the globe.
Why Join Rotary?
Networking
An original goal of Rotary was to allow club members to meet periodically and enlarge their circle of business and professional acquaintances. As members of the oldest service club in the world, Rotarians represent a cross-section of their community’s business owners, executives, managers, political leaders, and professionals – people who make decisions and influence policy.
Service
Club members have many opportunities for humanitarian service, both locally and internationally. Service programs address concerns such as health care, hunger, poverty, illiteracy, and the environment. Rotarians regularly experience the fulfilment that comes from giving back to the community.
Friendship
Rotary was founded on fellowship, a cornerstone that continues to attract members today. Rotarians enjoy camaraderie with like-minded professionals, and club projects provide opportunities to develop enduring friendships. Club members who travel have friendly contacts in almost every city of the world.
Family
Rotary sponsors some of the world’s largest exchange and educational programs. Rotary clubs provide innovative training opportunities and mentoring for young leaders, and they involve family members in a wide range of social and service activities.
Ethics
Encouraging high ethical standards and respect for all worthy vocations has been a hallmark of Rotary from its earliest days. In their business and professional lives.
Rotarians abide by The Four-Way Test:
Of the things we think, 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?
Leadership
Rotary is an organization of successful professionals. Team-building, fundraising, public speaking, planning, organization, and communication are just some of the leadership skills that club members can exercise and enhance. Being a Rotary leader provides further experience in motivating, inspiring, and guiding others.
The Object of Rotary is to encourage and foster the ideal of service as a basis of a worthy enterprise and in particular to encourage and foster:
- The development of acquaintance as an opportunity for service.
- High ethical standards in business and professions; the recognition of the worthiness of all useful occupations; and the dignifying by every Rotarian of their occupation as an opportunity to serve society.
- The application of the ideal service by every Rotarian to their personal, business and community life.
- The advancement of international understanding, goodwill and peace through a world fellowship of business and professional people united in the ideal of service.
Rotary & Polio
Since 1985 Rotary has led the battle against polio, and kept the pressure on as worldwide cases plummeted from 350,000 per year to 23, for 2020. Now, Rotary and its partners are This Close to making that dream a reality.
Rotary, the World Health Organization, UNICEF and the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention launched the Global Polio Eradication Initiative in 1988. In 2007, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation joined Rotary in its commitment to ending polio.
Since we started the fight against polio, we’ve reduced the number of polio cases by 99.9 percent, but we will not stop until we reach zero. If polio is not eradicated, hundreds of thousands of children could be paralysed. Global health care costs would rise dramatically, and many children’s quality of life would be drastically diminished.
Polio (Poliomyelitis) is a highly infectious disease that most commonly affects children under the age of 5.
Most know it as poliovirus. The virus is spread person to person, typically through contaminated water. It can attack the nervous system, and in some instances, lead to paralysis. Although there is no cure, there is a safe and effective vaccine – one which Rotary and our partners use to immunize over 2.5 billion children worldwide.
