What is Rotary?

What is Rotary?

Rotary is the organization that:

• joins socially and ethically responsible existing and emerging leaders from all continents, cultures and occupations,

• who exchange ideas through shared interests, cultural exchange and global understanding, on solving some of the world’s toughest problems by discovering and celebrating diverse perspectives, and then

• take action locally and globally to bring lasting change to communities around the world.

Rotary is headquartered in Evanston, llinois, USA and was launched on 23/02/05 by Paul Harris in Chicago.

Every day, in our communities and around the world, our neighbours face tough challenges — conflict, disease, and lack of clean water, health care, education, and economic opportunity.

Rotarians have a vision of what’s possible for their neighbours:

• They mobilize other leaders and experts to take action and see it through.
• They use expertise, connections and influence to make a difference locally and globally.
• By connecting passionate people, Rotary collaborates with community leaders, solves problems and creates opportunities.

Who are Rotarians?

Rotarians are people of action, driven by a desire to create opportunities, strengthen communities, and find solutions to the tough challenges that affect people around the world.

• Rotary is a community of 1.4 million men and women from all continents, cultures, professions and experiences, who connect through our local clubs.
• The 46,000 or so Rotary clubs tackle projects of every scale and inspire fellow Rotarians, friends, neighbours, and partners to share their vision, exchange ideas for lasting solutions, and take action to bring those ideas to life.
• They build lifelong relationships, honour commitments, connect diverse perspectives and apply expertise and leadership to solve social issues.

How are we different?

• Our aim is to tackle tough community challenges with empathy and understanding, to find lasting solutions to systemic problems and, motivated by connections and change, to encourage others to take action, conveying hope, enthusiasm, and passion.
• We look at problems from different angles and apply our expertise to solve social issues in ways that others cannot.
• By joining forces as a club and between clubs we achieve what volunteers only wish they could have done themselves, and enjoy a social network in the process.

We work with sponsors and partners to fund or resource projects and welcome new conversations about opportunities.

What sort of projects does Rotary do?

Together with our partners, neighbors, and friends, we’re:

– Promoting peace, encouraging dialogue to foster understanding within and across cultures

– Fighting disease, educating and equipping communities to stop the spread of life-threatening or preventable diseases

– Providing clean water, building local solutions to bring clean water and sanitation services to more people every day

– Saving mothers and children, expanding access to quality care, so mothers and children can live and grow stronger

– Supporting education, expanding access to education and empowering educators to inspire more children and adults to learn

– Growing local economies, creating opportunities for individuals and communities to thrive financially and socially

– Eradicating polio, uniting the world to end polio, once and for all

Rotary is a trusted partner and resource. With members and projects in almost every part of the globe, there’s no limit to the good we can do. With Rotary, you’ll find countless opportunities to create meaningful change in your community and around the world, and make friends while doing so.

You might not have heard, but we have led the charge to end polio. Since 1979 Rotary has helped reduce the number of endemic counries from 125 to 3 as at 2018. Locally you may have heard of various disadvantaged people we have helped, whether with equipment, health, training or befriending for example.

Our charity arm is Rotary Foundation, launched in 1917 by president Arch Klumpf, which has the world's highest transparency rating of 100 and the highest four star Charity Navigator rating. Originally for crippled children in 1930, it expanded into Health, Hunger and Humanity in 1978 before expanding into polio immunisation in 1979, formalised as Polio Plus in 1985 and today's coverage of six 'areas of focus' in 2013: economies, mothers & children, education, clean water, disease and peace. Rotary has invested $3bn in projects. The UK and Ireland have their own Rotary Foundation which allows tax relief. Each Rotary club has its own charity trust fund for its own projects, donations and contributions.

So, to summarise...

WE ARE PEOPLE OF ACTION