To the editor,
Recently I heard a woman admonish another woman for wearing a coat with the Rotary emblem on it, saying she shouldn’t be wearing it because it was a secret and a men’s only club. It’s neither of these.
Let’s take a step back and see how Rotary started and what it’s about.
On Feb. 23, 1905, a lawyer by the name of Paul Harris formed the Rotary Club with the hopes of recapturing in a professional club the same friendly spirit he had felt in the small town of his youth, and a club where professionals with diverse backgrounds could exchange ideas and form lifelong friendships. The name Rotary was derived from the earlier practice of rotating the meetings between the different members offices.
By 1921, it grew into Rotary International and by 1925 there were 200 clubs. Rotary now has 1.4 million members and more than 35,000 clubs with 16 million volunteer hours per year.
In 1923, the symbol of Rotary was adopted as the official Rotary International emblem
In 1932, the 4 WAY Test that is repeated at each meeting was created and it was adopted in 1943 as a code of ethics. In 1942, international exchanges were promoted and in 1945 Rotarians served in the UN Charter Conference.
Yes, during all this time it was a male exclusive club, but in 1989 it was voted on to admit women into clubs worldwide.
Definition of Rotary: An organization of business and professional persons united worldwide who provide humanitarian services, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations and help build goodwill and peace in the world.
Slogan: Service Above Self.
Rotary is involved in many areas, the most prominent being Polio Plus, which Rotary has helped immunize 2.5 billion children against polio. Rotary is also involved in scholarships, literacy, community and one of the most popular is Youth Exchange, which is a program to promote international understanding and develop lifelong friendships. It also offers interesting opportunities and experiences to see other parts of the world usually spending a full academic year abroad. These are only a few of Rotary’s involvements.
Locally, many clubs in the area have been around for many years. Take a walk around a town that has a Rotary Club and see what they are behind. That park where your children or grandchildren play in Rotary is probably behind it. Same with local parades, helping the Salvation Army at Christmas with the kettles or helping raise money for other community activities all through volunteering.
If you are single, married, male or female and would like to help out in your community, contact a Rotary Club, go to a meeting and see what they are about. Clubs are always looking for new members or people interested in helping out. We are still active despite of COVID.
It is definitely not a secret and is open to all!
Bonnelyne Noble
Walkerton Rotary Club
