Membership Month
August is Membership Month:
The first club meeting of each month will be headlined by a speaker from our club who reflects the theme of the month
Membership Month Kickoff Challenge presentation by Elyse Morishita
Bring a guest to the meeting during membership and qualify for a prize winning dinner: See Elyse for the detailed rules
Membership Committee Chair Elyse personifies and exemplifies the goals and the aspirations of The Rotary Club of Pahoa Sunset
The following is a brief history of the membership of women in Rotary Clubs
The 1989 Council on Legislation vote to admit women into Rotary clubs worldwide remains a watershed moment in the history of Rotary.
"My fellow delegates, I would like to remind you that the world of 1989 is very different to the world of 1905. I sincerely believe that Rotary has to adapt itself to a changing world," said Frank J. Devlyn, who would go on to become RI president in 2000-01.
The vote followed the decades-long efforts of men and women from all over the Rotary world to allow for the admission of women into Rotary clubs, and several close votes at previous Council meetings.
The response to the decision was overwhelming: By 1990, the number of female Rotarians had skyrocketed to over 20,000.
October 19901987
On 4 May, the U.S. Supreme Court rules that Rotary clubs may not exclude women from membership on the basis of gender. Rotary issues a policy statement that any Rotary club in the United States can admit qualified women into membership. The Board "encourages all clubs in the U.S. to give fair and equal consideration to candidates for membership without regard to gender."
The Rotary Club of Marin Sunrise, California (formerly Larkspur Landing), is chartered on 28 May. It becomes the first club after the U.S. Supreme Court ruling to have women as charter members. Sylvia Whitlock, of the Rotary Club of Duarte, California, becomes the first female Rotary club president.
1988
In November, the RI Board of Directors issues a policy statement recognizing the right of Rotary clubs in Canada to admit female members based on a Canadian law similar to that upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court.
1989
At its first meeting after the 1987 U.S. Supreme Court decision, the Council on Legislation votes to eliminate the requirement in the RI Constitution that membership in Rotary clubs be limited to men. Women are welcomed into Rotary clubs around the world.
1990
As of June, there are about 20,200 female Rotarians worldwide. Read a feature on women in Rotary from the June 1990 issue of The Rotarian.
1995
In July, eight women become district governors, the first elected to this role.