WHAT IS ROTARY?

We are 1.2 million neighbors, friends, and community leaders who come together to create positive and lasting change in our communities and around the world. Our differing occupations, cultures, and countries give us a unique perspective. Our shared passion for service helps accomplish the remarkable.

Rotary has been making history and bringing the world closer together for over 100 years. Founded in 1905 by Paul Harris, a Chicago lawyer who had a vision for harnessing the skills of local business and professional leaders to serve the needs of their community, Rotary has grown into a world-wide organization of 32,000 clubs working to bring positive change for millions of people.

The Rotary Foundation is a not-for-profit corporation that supports the efforts of Rotary to achieve world understanding and peace through international humanitarian, educational, and cultural exchange programs. Working alone or in conjunction with partners such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, The World Health Organization, UNICEF and the United Nations, the Rotary Foundation seeks to bring global change in its six focus areas.

• Promoting peace
• Fighting disease
• Providing clean water
• Saving mothers and children
• Supporting education
• Growing local economies