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

As Rotary grew, its mission expanded beyond serving the professional and social interests of club members. Rotarians began pooling their resources and contributing their talents to help serve communities in need. The organization's dedication to this ideal is best expressed in its principal motto: Service Above Self. Rotary also later embraced a code of ethics, called The 4-Way Test, that has been translated into hundreds of languages.

As it approached the dawn of the 21st century, Rotary worked to meet the changing needs of society, expanding its service effort to address such pressing issues as environmental degradation, illiteracy, world hunger, and children at risk. The organization admitted women for the first time in 1989 and claims more than 90,000 women in its ranks today. Following the collapse of the Berlin Wall and the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Rotary clubs were formed or re-established throughout Central and Eastern Europe. Today, 1.2 million Rotarians belong to some 29,000 Rotary clubs in more than 160 countries.

Today the head offices of Rotary International are located in Evanston, Illinois, U.S.A.

Rotary District 7070

Lynda Ryder
District 7070 Governor 2006 - 2007

District Governor Lynda Ryder Visits the Rotary Club of Alliston

  Rotary International’s District 7070 District Governor recently paid her official visit to the members and partners of The Rotary Club of Alliston at a special dinner at the club’s new meeting place, The Gibson Centre for Arts and Culture. Lynda Ryder, a past president of The Rotary Club of Etobicoke, brought a message of thanks and encouragement:  thanks for the Alliston club’s  continued support of the District’s initiatives and emphases; and encouragement to continue to look for ways to enhance the quality of life in our local community and those in developing nations.

  Rotary International’s president this year is Wilf Wilkinson, a member of the Rotary Club of Trenton at the eastern end of the District.  His emphases for this year, 2007-2008, include literacy and education, water and sanitation, health concerns and the family of Rotary.  Ryder outlined some of the district activities that address these concerns.

  Ryder also encouraged the Alliston Rotarians to “Share Rotary” – with their families, with the local community, with potential new members, with potential partners in service, and with those in developing countries who are in desperate need of help.

      Here the President of the Rotary Club of Alliston, Jean Baker Pearce, is presenting Ryder with a certificate in recognition of her visit.  It represents a donation to Eyesight International so that one person’s eyesight can be restored.

To contact district 7070: http://www.district7070-rotary.org/

Wilf Wilkinson

Rotary Club of Trenton, On. Canada

What this means, though, is that for most of us, the internationality of Rotary can seem distant, and it can be difficult to fully understand. As a new member of the Rotary Club of Trenton, Ont., Canada, I was very happy being part of an organization that I saw doing so much good work locally. I might have stayed focused on that local work for years had there not been an international convention scheduled in Toronto shortly after I joined.

That first convention was what really opened my eyes to Rotary. It brought the world of Rotary, the world that stretches far beyond my own club, all together in one place. I saw how truly international an organization Rotary was, and I understood, for the first time, just what I had become a part of – and just how much there was to do, to contribute, and to become.

At a convention, you start to see your own club in context, as part of a network of 32,000 clubs in more than 200 countries and geographical areas. You’re inspired by the work that so many of these clubs are doing, and you bring new knowledge and ideas home to your own club. Most important, perhaps, are the personal connections made at a convention: the friendship and fellowship that will link your club to others for many years to come.

The 2008 RI Convention will be held in Los Angeles, a multicultural city that is a fitting site for such an event. If you’ve already been to a convention, perhaps you need no convincing to register for this one. Los Angeles is a city of stars, and when you come, you will see the Rotary stars, the Hollywood stars, and the stars twinkling in the sky over the Hollywood Bowl. If you’ve never been to a convention, then I urge you to join Joan and our whole family for a wonderful few days of fellowship and inspiration. I believe this event will change your life, as it did for Joan and me in 1964.

Wilfrid J. (Wilf) Wilkinson
President, Rotary International

                                        To contact Rotary International: www.rotary.org

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