This is Rotary!

Rotary began when four gentlemen: Silvester Schiele, a coal dealer; Paul Harris, a lawyer; Hiram Shorey, a tailor and Gus Loehr, a mining engineer, met for the first time on February 23, 1905. It was there that Paul Harris conveyed his idea of a new kind of club.

An organization of business and professional leaders united worldwide, Rotary provides humanitarian service addressing today's challenges - including illiteracy, disease, hunger, poverty, lack of clean water, and environmental concerns - while encouraging high ethical standards in all vocations, and helps build goodwill and peace throughout the world. The world's first volunteer service organization, Rotary began with the foundation of the Rotary Club of Chicago, Illinois, USA on February 23, 1905. A young lawyer named Paul P. Harris, and three of his friends started the club. He wished to capture in a professional club the same friendly spirit he felt in the small towns of his youth. The Rotary name derived from the early practice of rotating meetings among members' offices. Today, there are approximately 1.2 million Rotarians that belong to more than 32,000 Rotary clubs in more than 200 countries and geographical areas. Club members meet weekly to plan service projects, discuss community and international issues, and enjoy fellowship. Rotary clubs are nonpolitical and open to every race, culture, and creed.