What is Rotary?
Rotary is the largest non-governmental voluntary service organisation in the world. It is a service organisation of business and professional leaders, united worldwide to help those in need, encouraging high ethical standards in all vocations, and working towards world understanding and peace.
Rotary consists of nearly 1.2 million service minded men and women belonging to over 31,000 Rotary Clubs in 189 countries. Rotarians meet weekly to enjoy each others fellowship and discuss ways to help others.
Rotary demonstrates compassion for the under-privileged, the ill, and the disabled, who benefit from over 50,000 Rotary Club service projects in the world each year.
Rotary runs the biggest non-governmental scholarships scheme in the world.
The Rotary Foundation gives more than £16 million every year to education and humanitarian programmes which promote international understanding. A major project is the eradication of Polio worldwide. to learn more click here: www.rotary.org/endpolio
Rotary was started by Paul Harris in Chicago in 1905. The world headquarters are in Evanston, Illinois, USA, and the Secretariat of Rotary in Great Britain and Ireland (RIBI) is in Alcester, Warwickshire.
Membership of Rotary
Service To The Community
Associated closely with that of the fellowship in Rotary is the idea of service to the community. This takes many forms including fund raising and active participation in community projects. This may be something as simple as providing marshals for the town Carnival. At other times, members provide helping hands in community projects such as creating a garden play area for recently orphaned children, taking disabled people shopping or for a Kids fun day out, or raising much needed funds for a hospice caring for children with life-limiting illnesses. At an international level, thanks to the active and significant financial participation of Rotarians all over the world, the scourge of Polio has all but been eliminated with Rotary working in partnership with the World Health Organisation. Rotary, through local clubs such as Bridport, is active worldwide in disaster, poverty and famine relief.
Notable UK Rotary Club schemes:
Dementia Help www.repod.org.uk
Aquabox www.aquabox.org founded by Wirksworth Rotary Club
Water-Survival Box www.worldwaterworks.org founded by Chelwood Bridge Rotary
Life-Box www.life-box.org.uk founded by Denton & Audenshaw Rotary
If you are interested and have the time and enthusiasm for community projects and fundraising we really would like to hear from you.
To learn more about Rotary in the UK and Ireland go to: www.ribi.org
Join Us
Please click HERE and fill in our no obligation contact form or speak to any member of the club.