History Of Rotary

The world's first service club, the Rotary Club of Chicago, was formed on 23 February 1905 by Paul P. Harris, an attorney who wished to capture in a professional club the same friendly spirit he had felt in the small towns of his youth.  The Rotary name derived from the early practice of rotating meetings among members' offices.  Rotary's popularity spread, and within a decade, clubs were chartered from San Francisco to New York to Winnipeg, Canada so, by 1921, Rotary clubs had been formed on five continents.  The organisation adopted the Rotary International name a year later.

As Rotary grew, its mission expanded beyond serving club members’ professional and social interests.  Rotarians began pooling their resources and contributing their talents to help serve communities in need.  The organisation's dedication to this ideal is best expressed in its motto: Service Above Self.

During World War II, many clubs were forced to disband, while others stepped up their service efforts to provide emergency relief to victims of the war.  In 1942, looking ahead to the post war era, Rotarians called for a conference to promote international educational and cultural exchanges.  This event inspired the founding of UNESCO.

In 1945, 49 Rotary club members served in 29 delegations to the UN Charter Conference.  Rotary still actively participates in UN conferences by sending observers to major meetings and covering the United Nations in its publications.

As it approached the 21st century, Rotary worked to meet society’s changing needs, expanding its service efforts to address such pressing issues as environmental degradation, illiteracy, world hunger, and children at risk.  In 1989, the organization voted to admit women into clubs worldwide and now claims more than 145,000 female members in its ranks.  After the collapse of the Berlin Wall and the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Rotary clubs were formed or re-established throughout Central and Eastern Europe.  The first Russian Rotary club was chartered in 1990, and the organisation underwent a growth spurt for the next several years.

Today, 1.2 million Rotarians belong to over 33,000 Rotary clubs in more than 200 countries and geographical areas.  In District 7030, there are over 2100 Rotarians in 70 Clubs.

For more information on Rotary visit www.rotary.org and specifically the Rotary Club of Liamuiga, please contact us via e-mail at info@rotaryliamuiga.org