Rotary District 5450 is in the process of forming a new Club in the Winter Park/Fraser Area. This is a series of Articles to inform prospective members about Rotary.
A dedicated group of local Rotarians from the Grand County area, in concert with Rotarians in Colorado, wants to launch a local Rotary Club here. We asked District Governor Diane Kessel of Golden to describe exactly what Rotary is and does and what its presence may mean to our community.
Q: Exactly what is Rotary?
A: Rotary International (RI) is a worldwide
organization of business and professional leaders that provides
humanitarian service, encourages high ethical standards in all
vocations, and helps build goodwill and peace in the world. Approximately
1.2 million Rotarians belong to more than 31,000 Rotary clubs
located in 166 countries.
Q: Who belongs to Rotary?
A: Members of a Rotary Club are
your neighbors and they are part of a diverse group of professional
leaders working to address service needs here in Winter Park,
in Colorado, and internationally. They aim to promote peace and
understanding throughout the world. Our universal premise is that
each club's membership constitutes an accurate representation
of the business and professional population within the community
served. Membership in a Rotary club is by invitation.
Q: How is Rotary organized?
A: At the heart and soul of Rotary is the local club.
Without the dedication of members at this level, the international
work of Rotary simply couldn't be done. In some communities
and not necessarily just the large cities there is sufficient
interest for more than one club. For example, Evergreen, with
a year-round population of about 9,200, has two clubs with a total
membership of over 150.
Clubs are organized into districts, led by a District Governor.
Winter Park will be in District 5450, geographically defined as
central Colorado.
Q: When and how did Rotary get started?
A: The world's first service club,
the Rotary Club of Chicago, was formed in 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. By 1921,
Rotary clubs had been formed on six continents, and the organization
adopted the name Rotary International.
Q: How did Rotary's mission evolve?
A: As Rotary grew, its mission
expanded beyond the professional and social interests of club
members. Its dedication to the ideal of serving communities in
need is best expressed in its motto: Service Above Self.
Rotary also later embraced a code of ethics, called The 4-Way
Test, which has been translated into more than a hundred languages.
(The 4-Way Test applies to the things Rotarians think, say,
and do. Its application in the 21st century will be examined in
a future installment.)
During and after World War II, Rotarians became increasingly
involved in promoting international understanding.
: How does Rotary fund its worldwide
projects?
A: In 1928, an endowment fund,
set up by Rotarians in 1917 "for doing good in the world,"
became The Rotary Foundation, a not-for-profit corporation. Today,
contributions to The Rotary Foundation total more than $80 million
annually and support a wide range of humanitarian grants and educational
programs that enable Rotarians to bring hope and promote international
understanding throughout the world.
Although a good portion of the funds of the Rotary Foundation
provides grants to help people in developing countries, there
are also ways to apply for these funds for local projects. For
example, should the Winter Park Rotary Club observe a need for
targeted efforts to promote literacy in the community, it could
contribute $1,000 to a literacy project and then apply for a District
Simplified Grant in the amount of $1,000. If approved, the District
would match the club's $1,000 thus doubling the investment
in Winter Park.
(Next: The Object
and Mission of Rotary
Those interested in becoming charter members
of the Winter Park Rotary Club should contact Fred Chapin at (970)
726-8212 or 726-3406.
If you are interested in other clubs in Grand County you may contact the following people.
Granby - Eden Recor(970) 627-0034
Grand Lake - Jon Price (970) 627-5487
Kremmling - Sara Rosene (970) 725-3347
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