Rotary International

We are Rotary International, a global network of neighbors, friends, and leaders who volunteer our time and skills to serve our communities and the world. Our story is one that grew from a simple idea about friendship into a worldwide movement dedicated to creating positive, lasting change. It began in the busy city of Chicago, Illinois, on a specific day: February 23rd, 1905. A lawyer named Paul P. Harris had an idea that he felt could enrich the lives of people in his profession and many others. He imagined a new kind of club, a place where professionals from many different backgrounds could come together not just to network, but to exchange ideas and build deep, meaningful, and lifelong friendships. In a rapidly growing city, he wanted to recapture the spirit of community and cooperation he remembered from his small-town upbringing.

That first club meeting brought together a small group of businessmen, and they quickly decided on a unique way to organize themselves. To ensure fairness and to get to know one another’s workplaces, they decided to rotate their meetings among the members' offices. This practical decision gave our organization its name: Rotary. In the beginning, the primary focus was on this professional fellowship, creating a space for leaders to connect. However, it wasn't long before the members realized that their combined skills, resources, and dedication could be used for a greater purpose. The mission of our club began to evolve from simply helping one another to helping the entire community. Our very first public service project was a direct response to a need in the city. We organized the construction of a public comfort station, which is a public restroom, in downtown Chicago. This project, though simple, was a powerful statement. It demonstrated a commitment to practical, hands-on service, and it was the first step in establishing our guiding principle, which became our official motto: 'Service Above Self.'

This powerful idea—of professionals uniting for community service—was incredibly popular. The concept quickly spread beyond Chicago, and new Rotary clubs began forming in cities all across the United States. The spirit of service and fellowship resonated with people everywhere. A major milestone occurred in 1910 when the first club outside the U.S. was established in Winnipeg, Canada. This marked the beginning of our journey to becoming a truly global organization. Soon after, new clubs were chartered in England and Ireland, and from there, we expanded across continents. As our network grew to include people from diverse cultures, countries, and backgrounds, we understood the need for a simple, universal ethical guide that all members could use. To help guide our actions and decisions, we created The Four-Way Test. It is a set of straightforward questions we ask about the things we think, say, or do. First: Is it the TRUTH? Second: Is it FAIR to all concerned? Third: Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS? And fourth: Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned? This test remains a central part of our identity, helping to unite our members in a common purpose.

Over the decades, we have taken on countless projects, but one of our biggest and most important challenges has been the global fight against a devastating and paralyzing disease called polio. Polio primarily affects children and can cause lifelong disability. In 1985, we made a historic promise to the children of the world by launching our PolioPlus program. The goal was ambitious and clear: to vaccinate every child in the world against this disease and eradicate it from the planet. We knew we could not achieve this monumental task alone. To make it happen, we formed a powerful partnership with leading global health agencies, including the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). For more than three decades, our members have been at the heart of this effort. Rotarians have generously donated money and, just as importantly, their time. They have traveled to remote villages, organized vaccination campaigns, and helped health workers administer the polio vaccine to more than 2.5 billion children in 122 countries. Thanks to this incredible global effort, we have helped reduce polio cases by 99.9 percent worldwide, bringing us to the brink of making it only the second human disease ever to be completely eradicated.

While the fight to end polio is almost won, our work is far from over. Our commitment to 'Service Above Self' continues to drive us every day. Today, our global membership has grown to 1.4 million people, known as Rotarians, who are part of local clubs in nearly every country on Earth. Our members now focus their efforts on projects in seven main areas. These areas of focus include promoting peace, fighting other diseases, providing clean water, sanitation, and hygiene, supporting education for all, saving mothers and children, growing local economies, and protecting the environment. The work is as varied as the communities we serve. It can mean building a new school in a developing nation, funding scholarships for students to study peace and conflict resolution, digging wells to provide access to clean water, or supporting local entrepreneurs to create jobs. Through these targeted efforts, we continue to tackle some of the world’s most significant challenges, working to create sustainable, positive, and lasting change in our local communities and across the globe.