About Us
What would it take to change the world? Rotary International is the world’s first service club organization, with more than 1.2 million members in 33,000 clubs worldwide. Rotary club members are volunteers who work locally, regionally, and internationally to combat hunger, improve health and sanitation, provide education and job training, promote peace, and eradicate polio under the motto Service Above Self.
ROTARY is a service association of business and professional leaders united worldwide who conduct humanitarian projects, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations and work toward world understanding and peace.
ROTARY began in 1905 in Chicago. The international headquarters is in Evanston, Illinois, USA, with branch offices in nine countries on five continents.
ROTARY is more than 1.2 million service-minded leaders belonging to over 33,000 Rotary Clubs in over 165 countries and geographic regions. Membership is by invitation.
ROTARIANS meet weekly to enjoy each other’s fellowship and discuss ways to serve our local, state, national, and international communities.
ROTARY is compassion for the underprivileged, the ill, and the disabled, many of whom are the beneficiaries of over 50,000 service projects conducted by Rotary Clubs in the world each year.
ROTARY adds fulfillment each year to the lives of some 7,000 young people of secondary school age as they study in countries other than their own.
ROTARY sponsors college level ROTARACT, over 5,000 service clubs for young adults, ages 18 through 30, in more than 110 countries.
ROTARY sponsors high school INTERACT, over 7,000 service clubs for young people of secondary school age in more than 90 countries.
ROTARY spearheaded the world wide effort to eliminate polio through POLIO PLUS by immunizing over 2 billion of the world’s children against this dread disease.
ROTARY awards about 1200 AMBASSADORIAL SCHOLARSHIPS annually worth about $30,000,000.
ROTARY FOUNDATION spends more than US$60 million annually on a variety of educational and humanitarian programs to promote international understanding including sponsorship of world PEACE SCHOLARS.