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| About Rotary | |||||||||
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Rotary is an organization of business and professional leaders united worldwide,
who provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations,
and help build goodwill and peace in the world. There are over 1.2 million Rotarians, members of more than 29,000 Rotary Clubs in 161 countries. Object of Rotary The Object of Rotary is to encourage and foster the ideal of service as a basis of worthy enterprise and, in particular, to encourage and foster: FIRST. The development of acquaintance as an opportunity for service; SECOND. High ethical standards in business and professions, the recognition of the worthiness of all useful occupations, and the dignifying of each Rotarian's occupation as an opportunity to serve society; THIRD. The application of the ideal of service in each Rotarian's personal, business, and community life; FOURTH. The advancement of international understanding, goodwill, and peace through a world fellowship of business and professional persons united in the ideal of service. History February 23, 1905. The airplane had yet to stay aloft for more than a few minutes. The First movie theater had not yet opened. On this day, a Chicago lawyer, Paul P. Harris, called three of his friends into his office for a meeting. What he had in mind was a club that would kindle fellowship among members of the business community. It was an idea that grew from his desire to find within the large city the kind of friendly spirit that he knew in the villages where he had grown up. As they continued to meet, adding others to the group, they rotated their meetings among the members' places of business, hence the name. Soon after the club name was agreed upon, one of the new members suggested a wagon wheel design as the club emblem. By 1905 the club had 30 members. The second Rotary club was formed in 1908 in San Francisco, California. Soon to follow were Oakland, Seattle, Los Angeles and New York. Rotary became international in 1910 when the Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada club was formed. By 1921 Rotary was represented on every continent and the name Rotary International was adopted in 1922. The Rotary Club of Morrisville, North Carolina was chartered on May 19, 1999. The Four-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 Four-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 Four-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: 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?" |