Rotary International & The Rotary Club of Fort Wayne

Rotary is a world-wide service organization, with over 1.3 million members in clubs all around the world. Fort Wayne is currently by served by two Rotary Clubs: The Anthony Wayne Rotary Club, with approximately 120 members, and The Rotary Club of Fort Wayne, with approximately 210 members. Local clubs are organized around the Object of Rotary.

The Object of Rotary is to encourage and foster the ideal of service as a basis for worthy enterprise and, in particular, to encourage and foster: First – the development of acquaintance as an opportunity for service; Second – high ethical standards in business and professions; the recognition of the worthiness of all useful occupations; and the dignifying by each Rotarian of his or her occupation as an opportunity to serve society; Third – the application of the ideal of service by every Rotarian to his or her personal business and community life; Fourth – the advancement of international understanding, good will and peace through a world fellowship of business and professional person united in the ideal of service.

“Service above self,” is our motto, and as Rotarians we apply the Four-Way Test, “Of all the tings we think, say, or do: Is it the truth? Is it fair to all concerned? Will it build good will and better friendships? Will it be beneficial to all concerned?” Rotary is non-political, non-religious, not gender specific, nor is it tied to any set of cultural requirements, beliefs, or values, other than that of Rotary.

The service projects, educational and humanitarian programs are carried out through the funding of our Foundations with the generosity of Rotarians and their contributions of time, talent, thought, and their treasure through Rotary.

Rotary International projects of note include:

• Was integral to the establishment of the United Nations in our efforts to promote world peace and understanding and non-conflict resolution and mediation.
• Promotes student and adult exchanges world-wide. The Rotary Youth Exchange program was the first exchange of its kind, and today is the world’s largest program, with over 500,000 youth exchanges annually in more 180 countries world-wide.

Programs of The Rotary Foundation include:

• PolioPlus. Rotary is the lead organization in the partnership with the World Health Organization to rid the world of Polio. As of 2006, 210 countries, territories, and areas around the world are polio-free and 134 have been certified polio free by the World Health Organization. Rotary has committed more than 595 million dollars to the global eradication of polio.
• PolioPlus Partners. Rotarians participate in polio eradication efforts by organizing and volunteering for specific social mobilization and survelliance activities in polio endemic countries. With Rotarians providing the immunizations, we are able to access populations where other organizations can not. Since its inception in 1985 over two billion children have been immunized world wide.
• Health, Hunger and Humanity Grants. Rotary will fund large scale multi-year programs in targeted areas to alleviate hunger, improve health and better humanity.
• Matching Grants & District Simplified Grants. Rotary clubs will work through their district and sister clubs to generate funding for service projects of all types for their local communities and people in need.
• Disaster Recovery. Rotary was first on the scene after the Tsunami in Southeast Asia and Hurricane Katrina in the southern U.S. with temporary shelter, food, water and humanitarian relief. Often and because of Rotary’s non political and non religious stance, we are able to access populations others can not.
• Rotary World Peace Scholarships. Rotary funds 60 scholars every year to one of six Rotary Centers for International Studies in peace and conflict resolution.
• Ambassadorial Scholarship. Rotary funds one of largest international scholarship programs in the world where scholars will study in another country other than their own and serve as an ambassador of goodwill.
• Rotary Grants for University Teachers. Rotary funds grants to faculty to teach in another country other than their own, most especially developing nations.
• Group Study Exchange. Rotary funds these adult exchanges through paired Rotary Districts world wide where each will send a team of non-Rotarians led by a Rotarian for a four to six week itinerary of vocational, cultural, educational exchange in the other country. Every year, some 550 teams travel abroad in this program.

Service projects of The Rotary Club of Fort Wayne are funded through our local foundation, The Fort Wayne Rotary Foundation. Some projects and programs of note include:

• The club was officially chartered with Rotary International on February 3, 1915. Early community projects of note included: the swimming pool at Lawton Park, a booster club for Fort Wayne’s entry into the Central Baseball League, and marking of the Lincoln Highway through Fort Wayne.
• The “Rotary Avenue of Trees” was planted in Headwaters Park along both sides of Clinton Street as part of the park project. Rotary raised the funds and provided the volunteers for the planting of these trees.
• The Rotary Circle of Hope is a two-mile walking trail around downtown and parts of Headwaters Park – donated by the members of the club in honor of Rotary’s 100th Year. Twice a year our members volunteer for a trash removal and maintenance of the trail. Over 75 bags of garbage is removed every year and thousands of flowers are planted.
• Cleo Fox Scholarships. This scholarship fund is available to area high school music students to help fund their continued music education by attending camp, special tutoring or coaching or other learning opportunity to reinforce and develop their skills in music. Every year some six to eight scholarships are awarded.
• Rotary Youth Exchange. Our club participates in this program, organized throughout district. Every year we will sponsor four to eight outbound students and receive and host one or two inbound students.
• Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA). Every year our club will sponsor ten to twelve area highs school students to a leadership camp. This week-long camp with high school student from across our district will develop and reinforce leadership and community building skills in our area youth.
• World Affairs Conference. Our club sponsors a site for area high school youth to participate in this program – a day long conference held on an international topic of interest where the students can interact with each other and other students at remote sites all around the world.
• Speech Contest. Rotary sponsors an area speech contest, with the winners then promoted on to our Rotary district competition and beyond.
• Group Study Exchange, Ambassadorial Scholars, and the Rotary World Peace Fellowships. Our club actively participates in these programs and annually will seek and sponsor candidates to these various programs of Rotary International.
• Excellence in Education. Rotary is one of the major sponsors for this annual program held to recognize the top educators from our community.
• Our Signature Project at Washington Elementary School called, “Stepping Stones: An alliance of Rotarians, Parents, Teachers and Staff investing time, experiences, and resources in children to maximize their potential. “Transforming lives one step at a time.” This partnership with the school provides support for teacher, volunteers for school and PTA activities and partnership with other organizations to provide lunch buddies for every child at school that wants one, and a Study Connection site at school for tutoring and mentoring. Almost 4000 hours of service are invested annually by members of our club in collaboration with other volunteers.

Rotary meets every Monday, except holidays, at noon in the Grand Ballroom of the downtown Fort Wayne Inn. You are welcome as a guest, anytime!