ABOUT ROTARY

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.

• The world’s first service club founded in Chicago, Illinois, USA on 23 February 1905.

• Some 1.2 million service-minded men and women belonging to more than 32,000 Rotary clubs in 200 nations in the world.

• Weekly meetings for fellowship and interesting and informative programs dealing with topics of local and global importance. Membership reflects a wide cross-section of community representation.

• Planning and performing a remarkable variety of humanitarian, educational, and cultural exchange programs that touch people’s lives in their local communities and our world community.

• The Rotary Foundation providing US$90 million annually for international scholarships, cultural exchanges, and humanitarian projects large and small that improve the quality of life for millions of people. Rotary is widely regarded as the world’s largest private provider of international educational scholarships.

• PolioPlus -- working with national and international health organizations with the goal of polio eradication throughout the world. More than one billion children in developing nations have been immunized against polio through PolioPlus grants. Only 4 areas remain endemic: Afghanistan, India, Pakistan & Nigeria.

ROTARY IS SERVICE ABOVE SELF

THE ROTARY CLUB OF ESCONDIDO …

• Was chartered on October 20, 1924

• Supports education with various technical, college and post graduate scholarships, student awards for excellence and service, and “adopting” local schools, promoting ethics and public speaking with a 4-Way Test Speech Contest, distributing English and translation dictionaries to all third graders

• Supports projects benefiting arts and cultural programs: Halloween Window Painting Contest, CCAE, Children’s Museum, Public Library, Historical Society, and activated center city time and temperature sign

• Supports projects focused on Youth: Boys and Girls Club, Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA), and sponsors Boy Scout Troop 649 (since early 1950s),

• Activities focused on seniors, safety and health: the Salvation Army, Palomar Family YMCA Avoidable Blindness projects, First Night Escondido, Grad Nights, meals on wheels, Interfaith Community Services, Serenity House, Elizabeth Hospice

• Members participate in both local and international Rotary projects promoting peace and service above self in a global perspective such as Wheelchairs to the HolyLands, Sister Rotary Club with Nazareth RC of Israel, Model UN project.

• Conducts semi-annual "Rotating Meetings," just like Rotary's beginnings, with meetings at more than 20 different members' place of business.

• Provides volunteers and leadership of Rotary District 5340 with six District Governors including the Centennial Governor.

• Is the third largest club in District 5340 and actively recruiting like minded business & professional leaders to join in Service Above Self through Rotary

UNIQUE FEATURES: Escondido Rotary club is noted for its singing - each week we sing a new song specifically written to recognize the speaker or program for the day! To our knowledge, we are the only club in the Rotary world that does this!

Over 200 Escondido Rotarians are very enthusiastic about opportunities to leverage support – in addition to the $125,000 raised solely by Rotarians through Coeur for the 2008 Rotary Year they gave an additional $250 per capita in new funding for charitable projects and received matching funds for all international projects. 100 percent of the monies were used for charitable purposes. You are invited to add your support to Rotarian funding to achieve our goals for 2009.

The 4-Way Test

Is it the TRUTH?

Is it FAIR to all concerned?

Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?

Will it be beneficial to all concerned?