About Rotary - What Is Rotary?

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Rotary At A Glance Rotarians: 1,209,790 Rotary clubs 32,462 Districts: 529 Countries: 168   Figures from Rotary International are based on official data as of  Dec 31, 2005.

Here are two videos that help convey why the men and women of Christiana Rotary are so proud to call themselves Rotarians.    VIDEO 1   30 seconds VIDEO 2    3 minutes

Rotary is an organization of business and professional leaders united worldwide who provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and help build goodwill and peace in the world.     Rotary International today is the world’s largest service organization for business and professional people, with some 1.2 Million members operating in 168 countries world-wide.  The world’s clubs meet weekly, and iii every Rotarian has a right to attend any Club meeting anywhere in the world, so there is always somewhere to go, and people to meet, wherever business or leisure travel may take you.

Rotarians – men and women alike – volunteer their efforts to improve the quality of life in their own communities and beyond.    Through the work of individual Rotary clubs, and through the programs of Rotary International and The Rotary Foundation, Rotary is making the world a better place. 

The Object of Rotary

Seven Habits of Highly Effective Rotarians

Attendance.  They always make it a point to attend as many Rotary meetings of their clubs and also of other clubs, as is possible. They are aware that attending Rotary meetings is a very important part of being a Rotarian. They do not miss any chance to attend such meetings. They also attend meetings of various committees of which they are members and even some others if they are invited. They are keen to attend various district functions and all projects of their club. They are proud to attend the district assembly and the district conference every year. They would try to attend the Rotary convention at least once in five years.

Fellowship.  They enjoy meeting other Rotarians. They often feel that in some of the Rotary functions meeting and exchanging greetings with others is often as important as actual transactions of the meeting. They go out of their way to talk to those whom they do not know. They go by the dictum that a stranger is a friend whom you have not yet met. Even outside Rotary they enjoy meeting people and getting aquatinted with them. At large gatherings of Rotarians they try to meet members from other clubs, rather than fraternizing with members of their own club.

Vocation.  They have respect for every vocation. Vocation and classification are the basis of Rotary. They firmly believe that each vocation provides a cog in the wheel and each one has its own importance, however insignificant it may appear by itself in comparison with others. They firmly subscribe to the view that each person should try to excel in whatever he is doing and try to help others to reach a higher level of efficiency in their work.

Discipline.  They believe that no useful work can be achieved in a productive manner without discipline, both within and outside. They appreciate the value of self-discipline because they are aware that like charity, discipline begins at home. Not only do they practice discipline but will also enforce it when needed.

Time, Money & Energy.  They know that they are in Rotary for a purpose. They fully realize that they have to earmark a certain amount of time, money and energy for Rotary as a part of being a Rotarian. They also realize that they are members of a society where all these three items are to be shared for their vocation, family and the community. They see to it that a proper balance is maintained while rationing out these commodities.

Empathy.  They put themselves in the position of the other person, especially if the other person is in difficulty. They know that mere sympathy is never enough. They feel the pain and experience difficulties of others themselves. They also understand that what they are doing for the community is merely returning a very small part of what they have received from it. They know that it is only human to expect some kind of recognition for what they are doing but do not hanker after getting credit for it.

Image of Rotary.  There may be moments when they feel that all is not right with Rotary. They may feel that there is 'politics' in Rotary. They know that there are some elements in Rotary who should not be there. They, however, look at the good aspects of Rotary. In public and outside Rotary, they always make it a point to project the best face of Rotary. They would not like to let the public image of Rotary get tarnished.

NOTE:  To learn the details about a variety of Rotary topics,  click here.

Information on this page came from The About Rotary and the RI Programs pages on the Rotary International web site