What is Rotary?

The world's first service club, the Rotary Club of Chicago, was formed on February 23, 1905 by Paul P. Harris, an attorney who wished to capture in a professional club the same friendly spirit he had felt in the small towns of his youth.  The Rotary name derives from the early practice of rotating meetings among members' offices.

Today, Rotary International flourishes with some 32,000 clubs and 1.2 million men and women as club members, providing community service in virtually every nation in the world.  

Locally, our roots here in Northport go back to 1926.  A group of Northport businessmen joined the Huntington Rotary Club and then formed the Rotary Club of Northport on November 23, 1927. It has met weekly ever since.

In 1943, Rotary adopted its "Four Way Test", created by Rotarian Herbert J. Taylor in 1932, as its ethical code:

   Is it the TRUTH?

   Is it Fair to all concerned?

   Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?

   Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?

This code is applied to club activity, community service and business activities.

Rotary's activity is organized in five Avenues of Service:

   Club Service - fellowship and club functioning

   Vocational Service - application of vocational skills with high ethical standards

   Community Service - projects to improve life in club communities

   International Service - humanitarian outreach around the world to promote world peace

   New Generations - promote development of Rotary objectives among youth through student service clubs and foreign exchange

So, what might Rotary club membership mean to you?  Do you want to serve your community?  Do you want to exercise your professional and business skills with high ethics and for service to others?  Do you want to share the fellowship of others who share these desires?  Do you want to participate in programs that help people in other countries?  If so, contact us - join us for a lunch meeting.