Rotary is a global network of community volunteers. Rotary members are business and professional leaders who provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards and help build goodwill and peace in the world.

Belonging to a Rotary Club gives men and women an enjoyable and organized way to make a contribution to their community.

Rotary members meet weekly to plan club, community, and international activities. Rotary Clubs are non-governmental and are open to every race, color, and creed. The Rotary motto is "Service Above Self".

On February 23, 1905, Paul P. Harris, a Chicago lawyer, formed the first club with three other businessmen: Silverster Schiele, a coal merchant; Gustavus Loehr, a mining engineer; and Hiram Shorey, a merchant tailor. Paul named the new club "Rotary" because members met in rotation to their various places of business.

Some 31,000 Rotary Clubs with 1.2 million members in 168 countries carry out service projects in their local communities and abroad to address such critical issues as poverty, health, hunger, illiteracy, and the environment.

Heart surgery in Chicago gave two Iraqi children the gift of life. These two children were born with congenital heart failure. In August 2005, they were flown to Chicago to undergo open-heart surgery. They are among more than 4,000 children in 60 developing countries who have received open-heart surgery through "GIFTS OF LIFE INTERNATIONAL", a non-profit, funded and operated by Rotary.

A 9.0 magnitude earthquake and ensuring tsunami that killed more than 220,000 people and left countless others without basic necessities called for a massive relief effort. By the end of the 2004-2005 Rotary year, donations by Rotarians totaled more than 5.4 million dollars to this relief fund.

Another example of an international activity: In 1985, Rotary launched Polio Plus, an ambitious program to immunize the world's children against polio. Rotary's Grassroots Leadership, volunteer support, and initial funding for vaccine provided the catalyst for the world Health Assembly's Resolution in 1988 to eradicate polio worldwide. Spearheading partners of the global polio eradication initiative were the World Health Organization, Rotary International, Centers for disease control and prevention, and UNICEF.

Polio cases have dropped by 99 percent since 1988, and the world stands on the threshold of eradication of the disease. Rotary members have given more than half-a-billion US dollars and countless hands-on volunteer hours to this critical effort.

North Carolina's first Rotary club was formed in Raleigh on August 1, 1914, becoming the 124th Rotary Club in the world. Nearly all of the North Carolina clubs are descendants of Raleigh, Wilmington, or Richmond, Virginia.

You are invited to learn more about Rotary International at their website.