Rotary is Service Above Self

118 Years of Rotary Service

Rotary startedwiththevision of one man Paul Harris.

The Chicago attorney formed the Rotary Club of Chicago on 23 February 1905, so professionals with diverse backgrounds could exchange ideas and form meaningful, lifelongfriendships.

Over time, Rotary’s reachand vision gradually extended to humanitarian service Our 1.4 million members havea longtrackrecordofaddressing challenges in their communities and around the world. That commitment endures today through an organization that remains truly international. Still making history in every project, we are changing the “world for the better.”

Rotary’s World Peace & Understanding

The “World Peace and Understanding Day” in 2022 commemorates the 117 years existence of Rotary International. On February 23, 1905, four men met in a downtown office building in Chicago, Illinois. The meeting was organized because Attorney Paul P. Harris wanted to create a professional group representing the friendly smiles and small-town values he had known in his youth. Harris, Gustavus Loehr, Silvester Schiele, and Hiram Shorey decided to call their club “Rotary” because their meeting locations would “rotate.” The name “Rotary International” was officially adopted in 1922, as they encountered fellow professionals around the world who also craved friendly smiles and humanitarian values. Over a century later, the “World Peace and Understanding Day” marks the founding of one of the largest philanthropic service organizations in the world.

Important District Event Schedule (Discon 2023 & PESECTS 2023)