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Rotary was founded in 1905 when Paul
Harris, a Chicago Attorney, met with three friends, a Coal Dealer,
a Mining Engineer and a Merchant Tailor.
Meeting in “Rotation” at
each others place of business, they soon resolved that there
could be a higher purpose of service to others in the community.
Since that day Rotary Worldwide has enabled vaccine to be bought
and administered for the eradication of Poliomyelitis and FIVE
other diseases!
 Rotary is the largest private-sector contributor to the global polio eradication campaign.
Rotarians have mobilised
hundreds of thousands of PolioPlus volunteers and have immunized
more than one billion children worldwide.
By the 2005 target
date for certification of a polio-free world, Rotary will have
contributed half a billion dollars to the cause.
Rotary has awarded over 30,000 Ambassadorial Scholarships to
students from more than 100 Countries to study in another part
of the World.
Rotary has provided educational experiences for
more than 6,000 teams through Group Study Exchange and over 2,500
Rotarian volunteers have given their professional expertise and
time in service to other Countries.
As it approached the dawn of the 21st century, Rotary
worked to meet the changing needs of society, expanding its service
effort to address such pressing issues as environmental degradation,
illiteracy, world hunger, and children at risk. The organisation
admitted women for the first time (worldwide) in 1989 and claims
more than 145,000 women in its ranks today.
Following 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. Today, 1.2 million Rotarians belong to some 31,000 Rotary
clubs in 166 countries.
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