Once Bitten Part I

Isn’t amazing that despite all your busy schedules and the horrible traffic in the city, not to mention the unpredictable weather conditions, we are all gathered here weekly? Yes, because all of us were bitten at one point in our lives – yes, my friends, bitten by the Rotary Bug – and sadly, for that, there is no cure. Once bitten, you are hooked forever…bound to a lifelong pursuit of the lofty goals that make Rotary what it is today.

Many of you before today had foregone sleep and rest – had foregone rhyme and reason even – and kept coming to every Rotary meeting, to every Rotary fellowship and every Rotary project, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. Before today, many of you have pursued with unflinching determination an idea, a cause, a worthy pursuit to aid the homeless, to find a loving home to the orphan, to feed the hungry. Did you then realize that your efforts contributed to something more immense and beyond what you can imagine? Yes, all your efforts were worth every blood, sweat and tear for they are all part of the global force that is Rotary, today’s leading non-political, non-sectarian, non-governmental service-oriented organization.

Even Paul Harris could not believe this happening. Paul Harris remarked shortly before his death that in 1905 when they started as a small group of friends, aiming to help one another in their business concerns, he did not foresee a worldwide movement coming.

Though I have written this article mostly for the benefit of RCM Star and Baby Rotarians, perhaps it is not presumptuous for me to say that all of us here could do well by learning more about this organization that we belong to. Perhaps none of us here could boast that he knows everything there is to know about Rotary. Today, more than a century after it was born, Rotary is lauded as a tremendous global force of business and professional leaders who volunteer their time and talents in order to provide a better future for the coming generations.

In 1905, lawyer Paul Percy B. Harris invited three other Chicago businessmen to a friendly meeting. He suggested for them to form a group which would kindle fellowship among the members of the business community. They came up with an agreement that their members will be composed of businessmen and their meetings to be held in the place of business of each member on a “rotating scheme”, hence the name “Rotary” was coined.

Members proudly called themselves “Rotarians” and they formed a basic unit, the Rotary club. Each club, in turn, belongs to the global association Rotary International which to date forms hundreds of districts, thousands of clubs and more than a million members in more than 200 countries and geographical areas around the world.

Realizing earlier on that fellowship and sharing knowledge and practices in each member’s businesses are not enough to keep a club of busy professionals meeting each week, Rotary’s early members shifted their attention to the more altruistic pursuit of reaching out to the less fortunate individuals of the community and this proved to be a much more powerful motivation. In 1907, RC Chicago donated a horse to a preacher to help him make the rounds of his churches and parishioners. A few weeks later, RC Chicago constructed Chicago’s first public lavatory. This inaugural project launched Rotary Club’s commitment to service and humanitarian efforts.

The club, being the cornerstone of Rotary, is where the substantial service-related work is done. It therefore carries the following basic responsibilities: sustaining or increasing membership base, participating in service projects that benefit their own community and those in other countries, supporting The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International whether financially or through program participation, and developing leaders capable of serving in Rotary beyond the club level.

Attendance of weekly club meetings is a primary responsibility of each and every Rotarian. These meetings are designed for the Rotarian’s full enjoyment of the Rotary experience on top of his enriching his or her professional , business and personal knowledge through fellowship with other professionals. A missed meeting maybe compensated by attending make-up meetings at any Rotary Club in the world – a practice that guarantees Rotarians a warm welcome in communities around the globe.

As regards to the basic duties or responsibilities of the club, the Rotary International Code of Policies provides for the following minimum requirements which each club must fulfill in order to be considered as a fully-functioning club:

1. A club must pay its per capita dues to the Rotary International.

2. It must meet regularly.

3. It must ensure that all its members subscribe to the Rotary World Magazine, the Rotarian or the Philippine Rotary Magazine.

4. It must be a club that implements service projects which address the needs of the local community or the needs of communities in other countries.

5. It must be one that receives the visit of the Governor, a District Officer, or any officer of Rotary International.

[to be continued…]