Rotary is
an organization of business and professional leaders united worldwide, who provide
humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and help build
goodwill and peace in the world.
There are approximately 1.2 million Rotarians, members of more than
30,000 Rotary clubs in 162 countries.
Rotarians meet weekly for fellowship and interesting and informative
programs dealing with topics of local and global importance. Membership reflects a
wide cross-section of community representation.
The Object of
Rotary is to encourage and foster the ideal of service as a basis of worthy
enterprise and, in particular, to encourage and foster:
First:
The development of acquaintance as an opportunity to serve society;
Second:
High ethical standards in business and professions; the recognition of the worthiness of
all useful occupations; and the dignifying by each Rotarian of his occupation as an
opportunity to serve society;
Third:
The application o the ideal of service by every Rotarian to his 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.
Rotary
is an organization of business and professional persons united world-wide who provide
humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and help build
goodwill and peace in the world.
International Responsibilities
Of A Rotarian
As an International
organization, Rotary offers each member unique opportunities and
responsibilities. Although each Rotarian’s first responsibility is to uphold
the obligations of citizenship of his or her own country, membership in Rotary
enables one to take a somewhat different view of International affairs. In the early
1950’s, a Rotary philosophy was adopted to describe how a member may
think on a global basis. Here is what it said.
A world-minded Rotarian:
Looks beyond national
patriotism and considers himself sharing responsibility for the advancement of
international understanding, goodwill and peace
Resists any tendency to
act in terms of national or racial superiority
Seeks and develops
common grounds for agreement with peoples of other lands
Defends the rule of law
and order to preserve the liberty of the individual so that he may enjoy freedom of
thought, speech and assembly, and freedom from persecution, aggression, want and fear
Supports action directed
toward improving standards of living for all peoples, realizing that poverty anywhere
endangers prosperity everywhere
Upholds the principles
of justice for mankind
Strives always to
promote peace between nations and prepares to make personal sacrifices for that ideal
Urges and practices a
spirit of understanding of every man’s beliefs as a step toward international
goodwill, recognizing that there are certain basic moral and spiritual standards which
will ensure a richer, fuller life.
Avenues Of Service
For
seventy years (since 1927), The program of Rotary has been carried out on
four Avenues of Service(originally called channels). These avenues — club
service, community service, international service and vocational service — closely
mirror the four parts of the Object of Rotary:
Club
Service includes the scope of activities that Rotarians undertake in support of their
club, such as serving on committees, proposing individuals for membership, and meeting
attendance requirements.
Community
Service includes the scope of activities which Rotarians undertake to improve the
quality of life in their community. Many official Rotary programs are intended to
meet community needs, whether it be to promote literacy, help the elderly or disabled,
combat urban violence or provide opportunities for local youth.
International
Service describes the activities which Rotarians undertake to advance international
understanding, goodwill and peace. The spread of Rotary clubs across the globe
allows for the concerted Rotary support of humanitarian efforts worldwide.
Vocational
Service focuses on the opportunity that Rotarians have to represent the their
professions as well as their efforts to promote vocational awareness and high ethical
standards in business. For decades, Rotarians having been applying the
"Four-Way Test" to their business and personal relationships and in recent
years, a "Declaration of Rotarians in Businesses and Professions" has given
expression to their concerm for ethical standards in the workplace. From offering
career guidance in high schools, to seeking ways to improve conditions in the workplace,
Rotarians and their clubs engage in many different kinds of vocational service.
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 friendships?
4. Will it be beneficial to
all concerned?"
One of the most widely printed and quoted statements of business
ethics in the world is the Rotary Four-Way Test. It was created by
Rotarian Herbert J. Taylor in 1932 when he was asked to take charge of a company that was
facing bankruptcy. Taylor looked for a way to save the struggling company mired in
depression-caused financial difficulties. He drew up a 24-word code of ethics for
all employees to follow in their business and professional lives. The Four-Way Test
became the guide for sales, production, advertising and all relations with dealers and
customers, and the survival of the company is credited to this simple philosophy.
Herb Taylor became president of Rotary
International in 1954-55. The Four-Way Test was adopted by Rotary in 1943
and has been translated into more than a hundred languages and published in thousands of
ways.
Rotary Club of Alliance, Ohio 