COME JOIN US!

Membership Chairman Skip Weber
Skip@skipweber.com
(504) 887-3929

WHAT IS ROTARY?

Rotary is...

ROTARY is an organization of business and professional leaders around the world who unite to provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations and help promote goodwill and peace in the world.
ROTARY is the world’s first service club. The first Rotary club was founded in Chicago, Illinois on February 23, 1905
ROTARY is 1.2 million service-minded men and women belonging to over 36,000 Rotary clubs in almost every nation in the world.
ROTARIANS meet weekly for fellowship and interesting and informative programs dealing with topics of local and global importance. Membership is by invitation and reflects a wide cross section of businesses in a community.
ROTARIANS plan and carry out a remarkable variety of humanitarian, educational and cultural exchange programs that touch people’s lives in their local communities and our world community.
ROTARY is the Rotary Foundation, which each year provides some $60 million for international scholarships, cultural exchanges, and humanitarian projects large and small that improve the quality of life for millions of people.
ROTARY is PolioPlus. Rotary’s commitment to work with national and international health organizations on the goal of polio eradication by the year 2005, Rotary’s 100th anniversary. More than half of a billion dollars and over 500,000 children in developing nations have been immunized against polio through PolioPlus grants. While not completely eradicated, there are only a few pockets of children in 4 counties that have not been immunized.

ROTARY IS SERVICE ABOVE SELF

BECOMING A ROTARIAN

An association of some 30,000 clubs in more than 160 countries, Rotary International is one of the world’s largest service organizations. The goal for a club’s membership is an up-to-date representation of the community’s business, vocational and professional interests.

An important distinction between Rotary and other organizations is that membership in Rotary is by invitation. Rotary clubs invite individuals to join and become members. Membership is vital to a Rotary club’s operations and community service activities. A primary goal of the club is to continually expand the club with committed members who have interest and ability to get involved in service and humanitarian projects.

Prospective members must:

Hold—or be retired from—a professional, proprietary, executive, or managerial position;
Have the capacity to meet the club’s weekly attendance or community participation requirements.
Live or work within the locality of the club or surrounding area.

The membership process

Often a person being considered for membership is invited by a member/sponsor to attend one or more club meetings to learn more about Rotary. The sponsor may then submit the name of the candidate to the club’s membership committee.

An individual who is interested in membership but doesn’t know any Rotarians can contact the local club directly. Some Rotary clubs maintain an office and may be listed in your telephone directory. Other resources include a Rotary Club in an adjoining community, the local chamber of commerce, the public library, or other non-profit service organizations. For a complete list of Rotary clubs, please go to www.rotary.org and select the “club locator” tab.

Classifications: professional representation

Rotary uses a classification system to establish and maintain a vibrant cross-section or representation of he community’s business, vocational, and professional interests among members and to develop a pool of resources and expertise to successfully implement service projects. The system is based on the founder’s paradigm of choosing cross- representation of each business, profession an institution within a community.

A classification describes either the principle business or the professional service of the organization that the Rotarian works for or the Rotarian’s own activity within the organization. Some examples of classifications include high schools, universities, eye surgery, banking, pharmaceutical retailing, petroleum distribution, and insurance agencies.

20 Answers to the Question: Why Join Rotary?

Friendship: In an increasingly complex world, Rotary provides one of the most basic human needs: the need for friendship and fellowship. It is one of the two reasons Rotary began in 1905.
Business Development: The second original reason for Rotary’s beginning is business development. Everyone needs a network. Rotary consists of a cross-section of every business community. Its members come from all walks of life. Rotarians help each other and collectively help others.
Personal Growth and Development: Membership in Rotary continues one’s growth and education in human relations and personal development.
Leadership Development: Rotary is an organization of leaders and successful people. Serving in Rotary is like a college education. Leadership: learning how to motivate, influence and lead leaders.
Citizenship in the Community: Membership in a Rotary club makes one a better community citizen. The average Rotary club consists of the most active citizens of a community.
Continuing Education: Each week at Rotary there is a program designed to keep one informed about what is going on in the community, nation and world. Each meeting provides an opportunity to listen to different speakers and a variety of timely topics.
Fun: Rotary is fun, a lot of fun. Each meeting is fun. The club projects are fun. Social activities are fun. The service is fun.
Public Speaking Skills: Many individuals who joined Rotary were afraid to speak in public. Rotary develops confidence and skill in public communication and the opportunity to practice and perfect these skills.
Citizenship in the World: Every Rotarian wears a pin that proclaims “Rotary International.” There are few places on the globe that do not have a Rotary club. Every Rotarian is welcome—even encouraged—to attend any of the over 30,000 clubs around the world. This means instant friends in both one’s own community and in the world community.
Assistance when traveling: Because there are Rotary clubs everywhere, many a Rotarian in need of a doctor, lawyer, hotel, dentist, advice, etc., while traveling gas found assistance through Rotary.
Entertainment: Every Rotary club and district has parties and activities that provide diversion in one’s business life. Rotary holds conferences, conventions, assemblies and institutes that provide entertainment in addition to Rotary information, education and service.
The Development of Social Skills: Every week and at various events and functions, Rotary develops one’s personality, social skills, and people skills. Rotary is for people who like people.
Family Programs: Rotary provides one of the world’s largest youth exchange programs; high school and college clubs for future Rotarians; opportunities for spouse involvement; and a host of activities designed to help family members in growth and the development of family values.
Vocational Skills: Every Rotarian is expected to take part in the growth and development of his or her own profession or vocation; to serve on committees and to teach youth about one’s own job or vocation. Rotary helps to make one a better doctor, lawyer, teacher, etc.
The Development of Ethics: Rotarians practice a 4-Way Test that governs one’s ethical standards. Rotarians are expected to be ethical in business and personal relationships.
Cultural Awareness: Around the world, practically every region, country, culture, race, creed, political persuasion, language, color, and ethnic identity is found in Rotary. It is a cross section of the world’s most prominent citizens from every background. Rotarians become aware of their cultures and learn to love and work with people everywhere. They become better citizens of their countries in the process.
Prestige: Rotary members are prominent people: leaders of business, the professions, art, government, sports, military, religion, and all disciplines. Rotary is the oldest most prestigious service club in the world. Its ranks include executives, managers, professionals—people who make decisions and influence policy.
Nice People: Rotarians above all are nice people- the nicest people on the face of the earth. They are important people who follow the policy of it is nice to be important but it is important to be nice.
Absence of an Official Creed: Rotary has not secret handshake, no secret policy, no official creed, no secret meeting rituals. It is an open society of men and women who simply believe in helping others.
The Opportunity to Serve: Rotary is a service club. Its business is mankind. Its product is service. Rotarians provide community service to both local and international communities. This is perhaps the best reason for becoming a Rotarian: the chance to do something for somebody else and to sense the self fulfillment that comes in the process and return of that satisfaction to one’s own life. It is richly rewarding.

"He profits most who serves best."

Richard D. King
Rotary International President 2001-2002