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So,
What's Rotary?
 Rotary is an organization of both active and retired businessmen and women throughout the world who come together to serve their community and enjoy great fun and fellowship. Rotarians are a diverse, energetic, successful and friendly group of leaders who provide their time, expertise and resources to help their local and world communities.
A Rotarian is an adult of good character and reputation who is a proprietor, partner, corporate/executive officer or manager of a recognized business or who is a member of a profession.
Rotary clubs represent a cross-section of occupations and professions. A vocational "classification" system of membership ensures that any one profession or occupation cannot dominate a Club.
The Rotary motto,
"Service Above Self", guides the actions of individual
clubs as they plan to feed the hungry, fight disease, assist the handicapped and elderly, combat illiteracy and fund scholarships. Membership is by invitation and is open to all businesspersons, irrespective of color, creed or race. This is born out by the fact that there are currently some 1.2 million men and women belonging to over 29,500 Clubs in virtually every nation in the world!
Although membership is by invitation, it is impossible for existing Rotarians to know of every qualifying person who is interested in becoming a member of the worldwide fellowship of Rotary. Therefore, you are invited to contact us so that we can tell you all about the Meriden Rotary Club. We will invite you to attend a few of our meetings, projects and fellowship functions. At that stage, a mentor/sponsor will be assigned to
you to assist you through the membership process. We look forward to hearing from you soon and to welcome you into the world of Rotary.
A
Brief History
Rotary's first day and the years that followed...
February 23, 1905. The airplane had yet to stay aloft more than a few minutes. The first motion picture theater had not yet opened. Norway and Sweden were peacefully terminating their union. On this particular day, a Chicago lawyer, Paul P. Harris, called three friends to a meeting. What he had in mind was a club that would kindle fellowship among members of the business community. It was an idea that grew from his desire to find within the large city the kind of friendly spirit that he knew in the villages where he had grown up.
The four businessmen didn't decide then and there to call themselves a Rotary club, but their get-together was, in fact, the first meeting of the world's first Rotary club. As they continued to meet, adding others to the group, they rotated their meetings among the members' places of business, hence the name. Soon after the club name was agreed upon, one of the new members suggested a wagon wheel design as the club emblem. It was the precursor of the familiar cogwheel emblem now worn by Rotarians around the world. By the end of 1905, the club had 30 members.
The second Rotary club was formed in 1908 half a continent away from Chicago in San Francisco, California. It was a much shorter leap across San Francisco Bay to Oakland, California, where the third club was formed. Others followed in Seattle, Washington, Los Angeles, California, and New York City, New York. Rotary became international in 1910 when a club was formed in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. By 1921 the organization was represented on every continent, and the name Rotary International was adopted in 1922.
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