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The Early Years
Paul Harris, the founder of Rotary, was born in Racine, Wisconsin, USA, on April 19, 1868, but moved at the age of 3 to Wallingford, Vermont, to be raised by his grandparents. In the foreword to his autobiography, My Road to Rotary, he credits the friendliness and tolerance he found in Vermont as his inspiration for the creation of Rotary.

Trained as a lawyer, Paul gave himself five years after his graduation from law school in 1891 to see as much of the world as possible before settling down. During that time, he travelled widely, supporting himself with a great variety of jobs. He worked as a reporter in San Francisco, a teacher at a business college in Los Angeles, a cowboy in Colorado, a desk clerk in Jacksonville, Florida, a tender of cattle on a freighter to England, and as a travelling salesman for a granite company, covering both the U.S. and Europe.

Remaining true to his five-year plan, he settled in Chicago in 1896, and it was there on the evening of February 23, 1905, that he met with three friends to discuss his idea for a businessmen's club. This is commonly regarded as the first Rotary club meeting. Over the next five years, the movement spread as Rotary clubs were formed in other U.S. cities. When the National Association of Rotary Clubs held its first convention in 1910, Paul was elected president.

After his term, and as the organisation's only president-emeritus, Paul continued to travel extensively, promoting the spread of Rotary both in the USA and abroad. A prolific writer, Paul wrote several books about the early days of the organization and the role he was privileged to play in it. These include The Founder of Rotary, This Rotarian Age and the autobiographical My Road to Rotary. He also wrote several volumes of Peregrinations detailing his many travels. He died in Chicago on January 27, 1947.
 
Today
Rotary International is a global network of service volunteers. It is the world's largest service organisation for business and professional people, with some 1,210,905 members operating in 168 countries world-wide. There are some 58,000 Rotarians in Great Britain and Ireland in 1,845 clubs, helping those in need and working towards world understanding and peace. It's a fulfilling role, and Rotarians can get involved as much or as little as their time will allow.

 

But there is much more. Clubs meet on a regular basis, which allows members to build firm friendships. Every Rotarian has a right to attend any Club meeting anywhere in the world, so there is always somewhere to go, and people to meet, wherever business or leisure travel may take you. Various Clubs have different emphases, which can reflect differences in size. A small market town may have a Club of perhaps 20 members, whereas in large centres the number can be closer to 100. Some concentrate on local community or vocational projects. Others link up with a sister club in another country to undertake an international project. Each Club decides how it wants to use the resources it has available.

 

 

Interested in Joining?

  • Do you believe that helping others is more important than your own self-interest?
  • Do you enjoy informal networking with like-minded business and professional people?
  • Do you want to help those less fortunate than yourself at home and abroad?

 

If so, the world's leading service organisation, Rotary International, has a welcome for you. Rotarians are united in providing humanitarian service, encouraging high ethical standards at work and helping to build goodwill for world peace. This means that each individual Rotary club is active at international, national and local levels. But Rotary clubs are best known for work in their home community through support for the needy of all ages including those who are handicapped or infirm. Help is given directly and also through many charities and Rotary International in Great Britain and Ireland is one of the largest charity fundraisers. That is only one aspect of Rotarians' work. Your experience and expertise will be valued by your local Rotary club and when you become an active Rotarian, you will appreciate what 'service above self' can mean. For further information about Rotary, or if you would like to contact your local Club, please go to RIBI's web site.

 

 

 

 

 

If you are interested in joining Rotary, and live in Great Britain or Ireland, there are several ways to get in touch. You can write to us at RIBI, Kinwarton Road, Alcester, Warwickshire B49 6PB, or telephone 01789 765411. Alternatively e-mail us now at secretary@ribi.org. We'll be able to arrange a contact with a local club, who can invite you along to one of its meetings, so you can see at first hand what Rotary is all about. Of course, if you know a Rotarian in your area, speak to him or her directly about membership.