What is Rotary?
 

• A worldwide organization of 1.2 million business and professional leaders.
• In over 200 countries.
• 32,000 Rotary clubs carry out service projects in their local communities and abroad
• Providing humanitarian service.
• Building goodwill and peace in the world.
• Rotary is a global network of community volunteers.
• Rotary members are business and professional leaders
• providing humanitarian service
• encouraging high ethical standards
• belonging to a Rotary club gives men and women an enjoyable and organized way to make a contribution to their community.
• meeting weekly to plan club, community, and international service activities.
• By using their skills and expertise globally, members also enhance their professional network, career development and cross-cultural understanding.
• Rotary clubs are nonreligious, non-governmental and open to every race, culture, and creed.
• Members represent a cross section of local business and professions
  

The Rotary Foundation
 
The Rotary Foundation is a charitable resource that supports the efforts of Rotary International to achieve world understanding and peace through international humanitarian, educational, and cultural exchange programs. It is supported solely by voluntary contributions from Rotarians and friends of the Foundation who share its vision of a better world.
 
The Foundation was created in 1917 by Rotary International's sixth president, Arch C. Klumph, as an endowment fund for Rotary "to do good in the world." It has grown from an initial contribution of US$26.50 to more than US$117.9 million contributed in 2004-05. It’s event-filled history is a story of Rotarians learning the value of service to humanity.
 
The Foundation's Humanitarian Programs fund international Rotary club and district projects to address such critical issues as poverty, health, hunger, illiteracy, and the environment. These provide health care and medical supplies, clean water, food, job training, youth development, and education to the millions of disadvantaged people of our world.
 
In 1985, Rotary launched PolioPlus, an ambitious humanitarian program to immunize the world’s children against polio and eradicate the polio virus worldwide. Rotary’s grassroots leadership, volunteer support, and initial funding for vaccine provided the catalyst for the World Health Assembly’s resolution in 1988 to eradicate polio worldwide. Rotary members have given more than half-a-billion U.S. dollars and countless hands-on volunteer hours to this critical effort.
 
Through its Educational Programs, the Foundation provides funding for some 1,200 students to study abroad each year. Grants are also awarded to university teachers to teach in developing countries and for exchanges of business and professional people. Former participants in the Foundation's programs have the opportunity to continue their affiliation with Rotary as Foundation Alumni.
 

Rotarians and their Foundation charity make a difference!