Rotary International is an international service organization whose purpose is to bring together business and professional leaders in order to provide humanitarian services, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and help build goodwill and peace in the world.

On February 23, 1905, on Dearborn Street in Chicago the miracle happened - Rotary was born. The Chicago Club was Club#1. Rotary moved west and San Francisco became Club #2 in 1908; then Oakland was chartered a couple months later as Club #3; followed by Seattle #4; and Los Angeles #5. Rotary was on the move.

As of 2014, there are 34,282 clubs and over 1.2 million members worldwide. The members of Rotary Clubs are known as Rotarians. Members usually meet weekly for breakfast, lunch or dinner, which is a social event as well as an opportunity to organize work on their service goals.

The Rotary Guiding Principles have been developed over the years to provide Rotarians with a strong, common purpose and direction. They serve as a foundation for our relationship with each other and the action we take in the world.

The Object of Rotary is to encourage & foster the ideal of service as a basis of worthy enterprise and, in particular, to encourage and foster:

First: The development of acquaintances as an opportunity for service and encourage. 

Second: High ethical standards in business and professions and recognize the worthiness of all useful occupations, and the dignity of each Rotarian's occupation as an opportunity to serve society.

Third: The application of the ideal of service in each Rotarian's personal, business and community life.

Fourth: The advancement of international understanding, goodwill and peace through world fellowship of business and professional persons united in the ideal of service.