The Four Way Test of the things we think, say or do:

1.  Is it the TRUTH?

2.  Is it FAIR to all concerned?

3.  Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER      

      FRIENDSHIP?

4.  Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?

The Object of Rotary is to encourage and foster:

FIRST.        The development of acquaintance as an opportunity for service.

SECOND.     High  ethical   standards  in   business    and   professions;   the    

                  recognition  of  the  worthiness   of  all useful occupations,  and

                  the  dignifying  of  each Rotarian;s occupation as an opportunity     

                  to serve society;

THIRD.       The application of the ideal of service in each Rotarians personal,

                  business and community life;

FOURTH.    The  advancement of international understanding, goodwill, and

                  peace  through a world  fellowship of business and professional

                  persons united in the ideal of service.

The world’s first service club, the Rotary Club of Chicago, was formed on 23 February 1905  by  Paul  Harris, an attorney  who wished  to  capture in a professional club the same friendly spirit he had felt in the small towns of his youth. The Rotary name derived from the early practice of rotating meetings among members’ offices.

Rotary’s popularity spread, and within a decade, clubs were chartered from San Francisco to New York to Winnipeg, Canada. By 1921, Rotary clubs had been formed on six continents. The organization adopted the Rotary International name a year later.

As Rotary grow, its mission expanded beyond the serving club members’ professional and social interests. Rotarians began pooling their resources and contributing their talents to help service communities in need The organization’s dedication to this ideal is best expressed in its motto: Service Above Self.

By 1925, Rotary had grown to 200 clubs with more than 20,000 members. The organization’s distinguished reputation attracted presidents, prime ministers, and a host of other luminaries to its ranks – among them author Thomas Mann, diplomat Carlos P. Romulo, humanitarian Albert Schweitzer, and composer Jean Sibelius.