How Did Rotary Begin

Object Of Rotary	For the benefit of those who have recently joined Rotary, the story goes back to the year 1905 to a gentleman named Paul Harris, who lived in Chicago, Illinois. Paul Harris was a lonely young lawyer who was struggling to build his budding legal practice. At the turn of the century there was often a gulf of understanding between the members of the professions and those engaged in business and trade. Paul Harris felt deeply a need to bridge that gulf--to rescue the professional man from an isolation that was often lonesome and irritating and to dignify the occupations of tradesmen with a zeal for its honor. So, on the evening of February 23, 1905, Paul invited three men to come to his office to talk about a new idea he had—a club based on the belief that men of business and the professions could be and should be personal friends. That group included a coal dealer, a tailor, and a mining engineer. The following day they expanded the circle by including a printer and a real estate dealer. Within a short time, the plans for the club were completed. It is significant that each of the six members who formed that new group was comparatively a stranger in a large city who had come from a small town to Chicago to go into business and each felt the need of personal friendships to replace those that had been severed by moving from his former hometown. They decided to hold gatherings in the place of business of each member and “rotate” the location with each meeting. This plan of “rotating” the meeting place prompted Paul Harris to suggest that the new club be called “Rotary”.
Rotary Board
History of Rotary
Purpose
Sunrise Rotary    Foundation
Sunrise Rotary    Fund Raising    Projects
Benefits to the    Community
Member    Responsibilities
Service    Above Self
Rotary Four-Way    Test

	In the early days, the meetings were devoted to helping each member expand his business opportunities. Papers on business topics were read by the members at the early meetings. Members were primarily urged to help increase business for each other. Although this practice has long since been outgrown, the comment has been made that, "they were helping each other even then." Soon the meetings were enlivened with singing and activities of fellowship. The membership soon expanded and the group decided to hold dinner meetings, which later gave way to weekly noonday luncheons. By 1907 the Rotary Club of Chicago extended its activities into the community by establishing the first public service project to improve the welfare of the city. This initial project consisted in the establishment of public comfort stations in Chicago's city hall! Since that time, Rotary Clubs have performed community service projects of every conceivable nature. Rotary became known as a "service club", and has been the model on which all other service clubs were later organized. Today there are more than 22,000 Rotary Clubs in 159 countries and territories throughout the free world. Actually, there are more Rotary Clubs outside of the United States than within. These clubs include over one million members who are leaders in every business and profession imaginable. It was interesting to find out that there are more countries represented in Rotary International than in the United Nations. With the current growth of Rotary, there is more than one new Rotary Club established every day of the year!