Editor's Note

Interesting Facts About Rotary

Many Rotarians, especially the Star Manila Rotarians, are surely interested to know more about this phenomenal 1.4 million global network of like-minded businessmen and professionals. Numerous interesting facts can be shared about Rotary. As known to all, Rotary was founded in 1905 by a lawyer, Paul Harris. Here are a few interesting facts about Rotary:

It was in January of 1911 when the first issue of The National Rotarian was released. The name was changed to The Rotarian in 1912, when Clubs were organized in Canada.

The first service project of the first Rotary Club was a WASH project, that is, the installation of public toilets in Chicago in 1917. This project made Rotary the World's First Service Club.

In 1929, The Rotary Foundation made its first gift, $500, to the International Society for Crippled Children.

As known to many, Rotary's primary motto is "Service Above Self." But there is a secondary motto, which is -- "One profits most who serves best."

Rotarians in the United States make up about 28 percent of all Rotarians worldwide.

The Rotary emblem was printed on a commemorative stamp for the first time in 1931, at the time of the Vienna Convention.

Rotary became bilingual in 1916, when it organized a non-English-speaking Club in Cuba.

Rotary's fiscal year began the day after its conventions until 1913. Starting in 1913, it begins on July 1st.

Arch Klumph established the "Rotary Endowment Fund" in 1917, when the Kansas City, MO Club donated $26.50. In 1928, it became The Rotary Foundation.

Rotary first adopted the name "Rotary International" in 1922, when the name was changed from the International Association of Rotary Clubs.

In 1968, the first Rotary Club banner to orbit the moon was carried by astronaut Frank Borman, a member of the Houston Space Center Rotary Club.

During the 1920s and 1930s, Paul Harris traveled extensively, ceremoniously planting trees to symbolize goodwill and friendship.

The first Rotary convention was in Chicago in 1910. There were 16 Rotary Clubs.

The first head of state to address a Rotary convention was President Warren G. Harding in 1923, in St. Louis.

Rotary first established Paul Harris Fellowships in 1957, for contributors of $1,000 to The Rotary Foundation.

Of course, especially interesting for Rotary in the Philippines is the fact that it was in Manila where the first Rotary Club in Asia was established, which is no other than our Club -- the Rotary Club of Manila.

Also, in 1979, Rotary began a project to immunize six million children against polio in the Philippines. This led to Rotary making polio eradication its top priority. In 1988, Rotary began the PolioPlus campaign with an initial fundraising pledge of $120 million. In relation to this, providing vitamin A supplements during polio immunization has averted an estimated 1.5 million childhood deaths since 1998 – the "plus" in PolioPlus.

Finally, as regards the 4-Way test, there is, according to some, a fifth Rotary Test: Is It Fun?

Hopefully, these fun and interesting facts about Rotary will make us even more admire and commit ourselves to this amazing organization.