Rotary International

 

 

Rotary is a worldwide organization of business and professional leaders that provides humanitarian service, encourages high ethical standards in all vocations and helps build goodwill and peace in the world.  Approximately 1.2 million Rotarians belong to more than 31,000 Rotary clubs located in 167 countries.

Members of a Rotary club are part of a diverse group of professional leaders working to address various community and international service needs and to promote peace and understanding throughout the world.  If you would like to be considered for membership in Rotary, contact Waylon Brown at: waylon_brown@sbcglobal.net or by phone at 870-234-7690.

Rotary has four areas of service in which its members work:

 The 4-Way Test

From the earliest days of the organization, Rotarians were concerned with promoting high ethical standards in their professional lives. One of the world's most widely printed and quoted statements of business ethics is The 4-Way Test, which was created in 1932 by Rotarian Herbert J. Taylor (who later served as RI president) when he was asked to take charge of a company that was facing bankruptcy.

This 24-word test for employees to follow in their business and professional lives became the guide for sales, production, advertising, and all relations with dealers and customers, and the survival of the company is credited to this simple philosophy. Adopted by Rotary in 1943, The 4-Way Test has been translated into more than a hundred languages and published in thousands of ways. It asks the following four questions:

 

"Of the things we think, say or do:

·        Is it the TRUTH?

·        Is it FAIR to all concerned?

·        Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?

·        Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?"

Milestones of Rotary International

1905

  

First Rotary club organized in Chicago, Illinois, USA

1908

  

Second club formed in San Francisco, California, USA

1910

  

First Rotary convention held in Chicago

1912

 

The Rotary Club of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, becomes the first club outside the United States to be officially chartered. (The club was formed in 1910.) 

1917

  

Endowment fund, forerunner of The Rotary Foundation, established 

1932

  

4-Way Test formulated by Chicago Rotarian Herbert J. Taylor 

1945

  

Forty-nine Rotarians help draft United Nations Charter in San Francisco 

1947

  

Rotary founder Paul Harris dies; first 18 Rotary Foundation scholarships granted 

1962

  

First Interact club formed in Melbourne, Florida, USA 

1965

  

Rotary Foundation launches Matching Grants and Group Study Exchange programs 

1978

  

RI's largest convention, with 39,834 registrants, held in Tokyo

1985

 

Rotary announces PolioPlus program to immunize all the children of the world against polio 

1989

 

Council on Legislation opens Rotary membership to women worldwide; Rotary clubs chartered in Budapest, Hungary, and Warsaw, Poland, for first time in almost 50 years 

1990

  

Rotary Club of Moscow chartered first club in Soviet Union 

1990-91

  

Preserve Planet Earth program inspires some 2,000 Rotary-sponsored environmental projects 

1994

  

Western Hemisphere declared polio-free 

1999

   Rotary Centers for International Studies in Peace and Conflict Resolution established 

2000

   Western Pacific declared polio-free 

2001

   30,000th Rotary club chartered 

2002

   Europe declared polio-free; first class of 70 Rotary Peace Scholars begin study 

2003

   Rotarians raise more than US$118 million to support the final stages of polio eradication

For more information about Rotary go to the Rotary International web site.