About Defiance Rotary Club

Established Locally in 1920

Meeting Day: Monday
Time: 12:00 Noon
Meeting Place: St. Paul Lutheran Parish Hall (South end of church, downstairs)

Object of Rotary

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 acquaintances 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 by each Rotarian of his occupation as an opportunity to serve society;
3. The application of the ideal of service by every Rotarian to his personal, business and community life;
4. The advancement of international understanding, good will and peace through a world fellowship of business and professional persons united in the ideal of service.

THE 4-WAY TEST

1. Is it the TRUTH?
2. Is it FAIR to all concerned?
3. Will it build GOOD WILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?
4. Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?

Origin of Rotary International

The first Rotary Club in the world was organized in Chicago, shortly after the turn of the Century, by Paul P. Harris, a young lawyer. He wanted to organize a club which would band together a group of representative business and professional men. A Club where the members might recapture the friendliness, comradeship and understanding of the small-town life many of them had known as youngsters.

On February 23, 1905, the Club's first meeting took place and the nucleus was formed for the thousands of Rotary Clubs which were later organized throughout the world. Paul Harris named the new organization the "Rotary Club" because originally the members met in rotation at their various places of business. Membership in this new Club grew rapidly. It soon became too large to meet in the places of business of the members and the Club began to meet once each week around the luncheon table. These weekly meetings, in connection with a luncheon or dinner, are now held by Rotary Clubs all over the world.

Each of the men who joined with Paul Harris in organizing this Club was engaged in a different type of service to the Public. This basis of membership - one active member from each business or profession became one of the cornerstones of Rotary.

Membership

Since 1905 when the first Rotary Club was founded, the growth of Rotary International has been rapid and continual. By the Fiftieth year Rotary Clubs had increased in number to 8,367 in 89 countries and geographical regions with a membership of more than 392,000. By 1967 there were 12,712 clubs with a total membership of more than 609,000. As of March 2009, over 33,234 Rotary Clubs with over 1,219,102 members in 532 districts and 168 countries. The sun never sets on Rotary and every hour of every day a Rotary Club is meeting somewhere.