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Rotary Moment for June 17, 2008 Shared by Club Service Director Tim Mattis USE OF “ROTARY” AND THE ROTARY EMBLEM: The Rotary International emblem and the word “Rotary” are officially registered with the U.S. Patents and Trademark Office as trademarks & service marks. This gives RI certain rights regarding their use and puts unauthorized individuals on notice against any infringing use. The Rotary emblem should not be altered or modified in any way. Rotarians are encouraged to wear the emblem as a lapel button. Many clubs (rightfully so!) fine their members for not attending meetings wearing their lapel button. Rotary banners, road signs and official Rotary club stationary naturally use the emblem as a mark of identification. The Rotary emblem can not be used for any commercial purpose. It is not permissible to use it in a political campaign or in connection with any other name or emblem not recognized by RI. Individual Rotarians should not use the Rotary emblem on business cards or stationary or for any other use intended to promote business. Nor is it considered proper for Rotarians to use the emblem on doors or windows of their business premises. It is the responsibility of all Rotarians to use the emblem with pride. The restrictions are provided to assure that the Rotary emblem will not be misused and that it will always bring distinction to the organization.
Rotary Moment for June 10, 2008 Shared by Club Service Director Tim Mattis INTERACT: Interact, a Rotary-sponsored youth service club, was launched by the RI Board of Directors in 1962. The first Interact Club was established by the Rotary Club of Melbourne, Florida. Interact Clubs provide opportunities for boys & girls of secondary school age to work together in a world fellowship of service and international understanding. The term Interact is derived from “inter”, for international, & “act”, for action. Every Interact Club must be sponsored and supervised by a Rotary club and must plan annual projects of service to its school, community and in the world. Today there are more than 6,000 Interact Clubs with over 138,500 members in 96 countries. Interactors develop skills in leadership and attain practical experience in conducting service projects, thereby learning the satisfaction that comes from serving others. A major goal of Interact is to provide opportunities for young people to create greater understanding and goodwill with youth throughout the world.
Rotary Moment for June 3, 2008 Shared by Club Service Director Tim Mattis
THE OBJECT OF ROTARY: 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: 1. The development of acquaintance as an opportunity for service. 2. High ethical standards in business and professions; the recognition of the worthiness of all useful occupations; and the dignifying of each Rotarian’s occupation as an opportunity to serve society. 3. The application of the ideal of service in each Rotarian’s personal, business and community life. 4. The advancement of international understanding, goodwill, and peace through a world fellowship of business and professional persons united in the ideal of service.
Rotary Moment for May 27, 2008 Shared by Club Service Director Tim Mattis
THE SPONSOR OF A NEW MEMBER: The bylaws of Rotary clearly outline the procedure for a prospective member to be proposed for Club membership. The “proposer” is the key person in the growth and advancement of Rotary. Without a sponsor, an individual will never have the opportunity to become a Rotarian. By custom and tradition the following procedures are recommended for sponsoring a new member: 1. Invite a prospective member to several meetings prior to proposing the individual for membership. 2. Accompany the prospective new member to one or more orientation/informational meetings. 3. Introduce the new member to other club members each week for the first month. 4. Invite the new member to accompany the sponsor to neighboring clubs for the first make-up meeting to learn the process and observe the spirit of fellowship. 5. Ask the new member (and spouse) to accompany the sponsor to the club’s social activities, dinners or other special occasions. 6. Urge the new member and spouse to attend the district conference with the sponsor. 7. Serve as a special friend to assure that the new member becomes an active Rotarian. Rotary Moment for May 20, 2008 ROOM 711 – ROTARY’S BIRTHPLACE: The number 711 has a very special significance for Rotary. Room 711 of the old Unity Building, formerly located at 127 North Dearborn Street in downtown Chicago, was the birthplace of Rotary International. That historic room, which was the office of engineer Gus Loehr, was the location of that first meeting when Paul Harris met with several friends to discuss his new idea of a club for professionals and businessmen. It took extensive research and dedication by a few Chicago Rotarians to preserve the room and restore it to its 1905 authenticity. For years room 711 was preserved as a miniature Rotary museum by Rotarians around the world who voluntarily belonged to and contributed annually to the “Paul Harris 711 Club”, which provided funds for leasing, maintenance and preservation. In 1989 the Unity Building was about to be torn down. Members of the 711 Club carefully dismantled the landmark room and placed its contents in storage. There they stayed until 1994, when the recreated Room 711 found a permanent home, and this piece of the Rotary heritage is preserved, at the RI World Headquarters in Evanston, IL. Rotary Moment for May 13, 2008 Shared by Club Service Director Tim Mattis PAUL HARRIS – FIRST BUT NOT FIRST: When the first organization of Rotary clubs was created in 1910, Paul Harris was selected as the first president. He served in this position for two years, from 1910 to 1912. Thus, the founder of the Rotary “idea”, who declined to be president of the first club, became the first president of the worldwide organization, Rotary International. Rotary Moment for May 6, 2008 Shared by Club Service Director Tim Mattis Rotary Moment for April 29, 2008 Shared by Club Service Director Tim Mattis Rotary Moment for April 22, 2008 Shared by Club Service Director Tim Mattis ROTARY’S WHEEL EMBLEM: A wheel has been the symbol of Rotary since our earliest days. The first design was made by Chicago Rotarian Montague Bear, an engraver who drew a simple wagon wheel, with a few lines to show dust and motion. The wheel was said to illustrate “Civilization and Movement”. Most of the early clubs had some form of a wagon wheel on their publications and newsletters. Finally, in 1922, it was decided that all Rotary clubs should adopt a single design as the exclusive emblem of Rotarians. Thus, in 1923, the “Rotary International Association” adopted the present gear wheel with 24 cogs and six spokes. However, a group of engineers advised that the gear wheel was mechanically unsound and would not work without a “keyway” in the center of the gear to attach it to a power shaft. So, in 1923, the keyway was added to the design, which we now know was formally adopted as the official RI emblem. Rotary Moment for April 15, 2008 Shared by Club Service Director Tim Mattis MEMBERSHIP IN ROTARY INTERNATIONAL: If you asked a Rotarian if he or she belonged to Rotary International, the individual would probably look puzzled and answer, “Of course I’m a member of Rotary International”. But in this instance, the confident Rotarian would be technically wrong. No Rotarian can be a member of RI! The explanation of this apparent contradiction is simple. The constitutional documents of RI state that membership in Rotary International is limited to Rotary clubs. Over 29,000 Rotary clubs belong to the organization we call Rotary International. A Rotary club is composed of persons with the appropriate qualifications of good character and reputation, a business or professional classification, and who serve in an executive or managerial capacity. The Rotarian belongs to a club – the club, in turn, belongs to RI. The technical distinction is not obvious or even known to most Rotarians and seldom does is create any problems or complications. It does, however, explain why the RI Board of Directors places expectations upon and extends privileges to Rotary clubs rather than to individual Rotarians. SO, if someone asks you if you belong to Rotary International your most accurate answer would be, “No, I belong to a Rotary Club”. But it is doubtful anyone would understand the difference, or in fact, would really care. Rotary Moment for April 8, 2008 Shared by Club Service Director Tim Mattis NO PERSONAL PRIVLEGES: Frequently, friends ask whether Rotarians receive special business benefits from their Rotary membership. Should Rotarians expect a special discount or some preferential service just because they are dealing with a fellow Rotarian? The answer is clearly “no”. The Rotary “Manual of Procedures” expressly states the Rotary position on this matter. The policy, originally approved by the RI Board of Directors in 1933, is that in business and professional relations “a Rotarian should not expect (and far less should he/she ask for) more consideration or advantages from a fellow Rotarian than the latter would give to any other business or professional associate with whom he/she has business relations”. Over 50 years ago the concept was expressed that “true friends demand nothing of one another, and any abuse of the confidence of friendship for profit is foreign to the concept of Rotary”. On the other hand, if new or increased business comes as the natural result of friendship created in Rotary, it is the same normal development that takes place outside of Rotary as well as inside, so it is not an infringement on the ethics of Rotary membership. It is important to remember that the primary purpose of Rotary membership is to provide each member with a unique opportunity to serve others, and membership is not intended as a means for personal profit or special privileges. Rotary Moment for April 1, 2008 Shared by Club Service Director Tim Mattis Truly, the GSE program has provided Rotarians with one of its most enjoyable, practical, and meaningful ways to promote world understanding.
Rotary Moment for March 25, 2008 Shared by Club Historian Wulff Reinhold on behalf of Club Service Director Tim Mattis
FIRST NAMES OR NICKNAMES:
From the earliest days of Rotary, members have referred to each other on a first-name basis. Since personal acquaintanceship and friendship are cornerstones of Rotary, it was natural that many clubs adopted the practice of setting aside formal titles in conversations among members. Individuals who normally would be addressed as Doctor, Professor, Mister, the Honorable Sir or Madame are regularly called Joe, Lavelle, Jim, Jan or Tommy by other Rotarians. The characteristic Rotary Club name badge fosters the first-name custom.
In a few areas, such as Europe, the club members use a more formal style in addressing fellow members. In other parts of the world, mainly in Asian countries, the practice is to assign each new Rotarian a humorous nickname, which relates to some personal characteristic or which is descriptive of the member’s business or profession. A member nicknamed “Oxygen” may be the manufacturer of chemical gas products. “Trees” may be the nickname for a Rotarian in the lumber business. Other members might carry nicknames like “Muscles,” “Foghorn” or “Smiles” as commentaries on their physical features.
The nicknames are frequently a source of good-natured fun and fellowship. But whether a Rotarian is addressed by a given first-name or a nickname, the spirit of personal friendship is the initial step that opens doors to all other opportunities for service.
Rotary Moment for March 18, 2008 Shared by Club Service Director Tim Mattis
TOLERANCE OF DIFFERENCES:
Occasionally there is a temptation to criticize the laws, customs and traditions of another country that may seem strange or contrary to our own. In some instances illegal practices or customs of one nation are completely lawful and acceptable in another.
As members of an international organization dedicated to world understanding and peace, it behooves Rotarians to exercise restraint in judging our Rotary friends and citizens from other countries when their behavior seems unusual to us. A Rotary policy has existed for more than half a century relating to this dilemma of international relationships.
The statement, adopted in 1933, says that Rotarians should be guided by this admonition of tolerance:
“Rotarians in all countries should recognize each others differences and there should be a thoughtful avoidance of criticism of the laws and customs of one country.”
The policy also cautions against “any effort on the part of Rotarians of one country to interfere with the laws or customs of another country.”
As we strive to strengthen the bonds of understanding, goodwill and friendship, these policies still provide good advice and guidance.
Rotary Moment for March 11, 2008 Shared by Club Historian Wulff Reinhold on behalf of Club Service Director Tim Mattis
CLUB SINGING:
Harry Ruggles was the fifth man to join Paul Harris in the conversations that led to the formation of the first Rotary Club in Chicago in 1905. Harry was a fellow who enjoyed singing, and this was a popular activity at the turn of the century. At an early meeting of the fledging group, Harry jumped on a chair and urged everyone to join him in a song. Group singing soon became a traditional part of each Rotary meeting. The custom spread to many of the clubs in the United States and is still a popular fellowship activity in the Rotary meetings of such diverse countries as Australia, Japan, Nigeria, New Zealand and Canada.
Some clubs sing a national song as the formal openings of the meeting. Social singing, however, is seldom found in the Rotary Clubs in Europe, South America & Asia…(or Rohnert Park).
Rotary Moment for March 4, 2008 Shared by Club Service Director Tim Mattis
THE 4-WAY TEST:
One of the most widely printed and quoted statements of business ethics in the world is the Rotary “4-Way Test”. It was created by Rotarian Herbert J. Taylor in 1932 when he was asked to take charge of the Chicago-based Club Aluminum Company, which 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 4-Way Test became the guide for sales, production, advertising and all relations with dealers and customers. The survival of the company was credited to this simple philosophy. Herb Taylor became president of Rotary International during 1954-55.
The 4-Way Test was adopted by Rotary in 1943 and has been translated into more than 100 languages and published in thousands of ways. The message should be known and followed by all Rotarians.
Of 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?
Rotary Moment for February 26, 2008 Shared by Club Service Director Tim Mattis
DISTRICT GOVERNORS:
The Rotary District Governor (also known as the DG) is the single “Officer” of Rotary International in the geographic area called a Rotary district, which usually includes about 45 Rotary clubs. They provide the “quality control” for the more than 29,000 Rotary clubs of the world and are responsible for maintaining high performance within the clubs of their district.
The DG makes an official visit to each club in their district once per year. He or she is a helpful and friendly advisor to the club officers, a useful counselor to further the Object of Rotary among the clubs of the district, and is a catalyst to help strengthen the programs of Rotary.
The DG devotes a year to the volunteer task of leadership and has a wealth of knowledge about current Rotary programs, purposes, policies and goals, and is a person of recognized high standards in his or her profession, community and Rotary Club. He or she performs a host of specific duties to assure that the quality of Rotary does not falter in the district and is responsible to promote and implement all programs and activities of the RI president and Board of Directors.
Each DG performs a very important role in the worldwide operations of Rotary. The District Governor is truly a prime example of Service Above Self performing a labor of love.
The “Rotary Moment” for February 19, 2008 Shared by Club Service Director Tim Mattis
DEFINITION OF ROTARY:
How does one describe the organization called “Rotary”? There are so many characteristics of a Rotary club as well as the activities of a million Rotarians. There are:
In 1976 the Rotary International Board of Directors was interested in creating a concise definition of the fundamental aspects of Rotary. They turned to the three men who were then serving on the Rotary’s Public Relations Committee and requested that a one-sentence definition of Rotary be prepared. After numerous drafts, the committee presented this definition, which has been used ever since in various Rotary publications: Rotary is an organization of business and professional persons united worldwide who provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations and help build goodwill and peace in the world.
Those 31 words are worth remembering when someone asks, “What is a Rotary Club”?
The "Rotary Moment" for February 5, 2008 Shared by Club Service Director Tim Mattis
WOMEN IN ROTARY:
Until 1989 the Constitution & Bylaws of Rotary International stated that Rotary Club membership was for males only.
In 1978 the Rotary club of Duarte, California invited three women to become members. The RI Board withdrew the charter of that club for violation of the RI Constitution. The Club brought suit against RI claiming a violation of a state civil rights law that prevents discrimination of any form in business establishments or public accommodations. The appeals court and the California Supreme Court supported the Duarte position that Rotary could not remove the club’s charter merely for inducting women into the club. The US Supreme Court upheld the California court indicating that Rotary clubs do have a “business purpose” and are in some ways public-type organizations.
This action in 1987 allowed women to become Rotarians in any jurisdiction having similar “public accommodation” statutes. The RI Constitutional change was made at the 1989 Council on Legislation, with a vote to eliminate the “male only” provision for all of Rotary. Since that time, women have become members and leaders of clubs and districts throughout the world.
The "Rotary Moment" for January 29, 2008 Shared by Club Service Director Tim Mattis
Some Rotary "FIRSTS":
Addendum: Submitted by Club Historian Wulff Reinhold
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