What is Rotary?

 

 

Rotary is a global network of 1.4 million neighbors, friends, leaders, and problem-solvers who see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change – across the globe, in our communities, and in ourselves.

Solving real problems takes real commitment and vision. For more than 110 years, Rotary's people of action have used their passion, energy, and intelligence to take action on sustainable projects. From literacy and peace to water and health, we are always working to better our world, and we stay committed to the end.

Rotary members believe that we have a shared responsibility to take action on our world’s most persistent issues. Our 46,000+ clubs work together to:

  • Promote peace

  • Fight disease

  • Provide clean water, sanitation, and hygiene

  • Save mothers and children

  • Support education

  • Grow local economies

  • Protect the environment

 

Our mission: We provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through our fellowship of business, professional, and community leaders.

Vision Statement: Together, we see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change — across the globe, in our communities, and in ourselves.

Rotary International brings together the kind of people who step forward to take on important issues for communities worldwide. Rotary members hail from a wide range of professional backgrounds: doctors, artists, executives, small business owners, and stay-at-home parents all call themselves Rotarians. Rotary connects these unique perspectives and helps leverage its members’ expertise to improve lives everywhere.

Rotarians contribute their time, energy, and passion to sustainable, long-term projects in local communities worldwide. Projects focus on important issues like peace and conflict resolution, disease prevention and treatment, water and sanitation, maternal and child health, basic education and literacy, and economic and community development.

From Haiti and Greenland to Nigeria and Singapore, Rotary unites a truly diverse group of leaders from across the world. Currently, the largest number of clubs comes from the United States, India, Japan, and Brazil. The fastest-growing Rotary regions include Southeast Asia and Africa.

Rotary is dedicated to causes that build international relationships, improve lives, and create a better world to support our peace efforts and end polio forever. Some of the causes supported by Rotary are: 

  • Promoting Peace

  • Fighting Disease

  • Providing Clean Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene

  • Saving Mothers and Children

  • Supporting Education

  • Growing Local Economies

  • Protecting the Environment

  • Ending Polio Forever

Polio Eradication: Rotary International is close to eliminating the second human disease in history after smallpox, with a 99 percent reduction in polio cases worldwide since 1985, when Rotary launched its PolioPlus program. In 1988, Rotary spearheaded the creation of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative with its partners, the World Health Organization, UNICEF, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Polio eradication remains Rotary’s top priority. To date, Rotary has contributed more than US$1.2 billion and countless volunteer hours to help immunize more than two billion children against polio in 122 countries. Currently, Rotary is working to raise $35 million per year through 2018 for polio eradication, which will be matched 2 to 1 by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.