About Rotary - What Is Rotary?

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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. In more than 160 countries worldwide, approximately 1.2 million Rotarians belong to more than 30,000 Rotary clubs.

Rotary club membership represents a cross-section of the community's business and professional men and women. The world's Rotary clubs meet weekly and are nonpolitical, nonreligious, and open to all cultures, races, and creeds.

The main objective of Rotary is service — in the community, in the workplace, and throughout the world. Rotarians develop community service projects that address many of today's most critical issues, such as children at risk, poverty and hunger, the environment, illiteracy, and violence. They also support programs for youth, educational opportunities and international exchanges for students, teachers, and other professionals, and vocational and career development. The Rotary motto is Service Above Self.

Bethel Rotary projects/fundraisers

The Rotary Club of Bethel actively supports a variety of community projects, as well as international Rotary efforts. Locally, the club provides financial and other support for Christmas for Children, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Project Graduation, Camp Susan Curtis, Mahoosuc Kids Association, Boy and Girl Scouts, Bethel Historical Society, high school scholarships, Bethel Library, Senior Citizens Christmas Dinner, Holiday Food Baskets, Androscoggin Home Health Care and Hospice, West Bethel Children's Center, Mahoosuc Community Band and firewood distribution to those in need, among others.

The club holds several fundraising events through the year to support its work. The primary events include two Country Breakfasts, an Auction/Yard Sale, Christmas Bell Ringing and a Golf Challenge.

More on Rotary International

Although Rotary clubs develop autonomous service programs, all Rotarians worldwide are united in a campaign for the global eradication of polio. In the 1980s, Rotarians raised US$240 million to immunize the children of the world; by 2005, Rotary's centenary year and the target date for the certification of a polio-free world, the PolioPlus program will have contributed US$500 million to this cause. In addition, Rotary has provided an army of volunteers to promote and assist at national immunization days in polio-endemic countries around the world.

Find out more about Rotary by visiting the Rotary International web site.

Information on this page came from:

The About Rotary and the RI Programs pages on the Rotary International web site