 The 4-way Test-Of the things we think, say or do 1. Is it the TRUTH? | 2. Is it FAIR to all concerned? 3. Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS? | 4.Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned? |
ROTARY BASICS
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ROTARIANS ARE members of Rotary clubs, which belong to the global association Rotary International (RI). Each club elects its own officers and enjoys considerable autonomy within the framework of Rotary's constitution and bylaws.
Clubs are grouped into 529 Rotary districts, each led by a district governor, who is an officer of RI. The district administration, including assistant governors and various committees, guides and supports the clubs. The 19-member RI Board of Directors, which includes the RI president and president-elect, meets quarterly to establish policies. Traditionally, the RI president, who is elected annually, develops a theme and emphasis for the year.
While the RI president is the organization's chief executive, the active managing officer is the RI general secretary, who heads a staff of about 600 people at World Headquarters in the Chicago suburb of Evanston, Illinois, USA, and in the seven international offices in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, India, Japan, Korea, and Switzerland. The RI in Great Britain and Ireland (RIBI) office, in England, serves clubs and districts in that region.(see a brief history of Rotary International)
| Two Rivers Rotary was organized in 1923 and is part of District 6270., Zone A that includes the six Rotary Clubs in Manitowoc, Sheboygan and Two Rivers. District 6270 is made up of 59 clubs with over 3600 members in eastern and southern areas of Wisconsin. The Two Rivers club is the most northern club in the District. (See a brief history of Two Rivers Rotary) |
Responsibilities of membership
WHAT ROTARIANS get out of Rotary depends largely on what they put into it. Many membership requirements are designed to help members more fully enjoy their Rotary experience.
The club is the cornerstone of Rotary, where the most meaningful work is carried out. Effective Rotary clubs all exhibit four key characteristics: they strive to sustain or increase their membership base, participate in service projects that benefit their own community and those in other countries, support The Rotary Foundation financially and through program participation, and develop leaders capable of serving in Rotary beyond the club level.
Attending weekly club meetings allows members to enjoy their club's fellowship and enrich their professional and personal knowledge. If members miss their own club's meeting, they are encouraged to expand their Rotary horizons by attending make-up meetings at any Rotary club in the world - a practice that guarantees Rotarians warm welcome in communities around the globe. For meeting places and times, consult the Official Directory or the Club Locator section on RI's Web site (www rotary org) or for clubs in the Two Rivers area, click here.
Regular attendance helps members fulfill another important responsibility- participating in club service projects. Members learn about their club's involvement in local and international projects and can volunteer their time and talents where they are most needed.
To keep clubs strong, every Rotarian must share the responsibility of bringing new people into Rotary. Even new members can bring guests to meetings or invite them to participate in a service project. The value of Rotary speaks for itself, and the best way to spark the interest of potential members is by letting them experience fellowship and service firsthand.
Keeping members interested in Rotary is another responsibility. Good club fellowship and early involvement in service projects are two of the best ways to sustain the club's membership.
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THROUGHOUT ROTARY'S history, several basic principles have been developed to guide Rotarians in achieving the ideal of service and high ethical standards.
The Object of Rotary was first formulated in 1910 and adapted throughout the years as Rotary's mission expanded. It provides a succinct definition of the organization's purpose as well as the individual club member's responsibilities. The Object of Rotary is to encourage and foster the ideal of service as a basis of 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 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 a world fellowship of business and professional persons united in the ideal of service.
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The classification principle ensures that each club's membership profiles the business and professional composition of its community. Under this system, each member's classification is based on his or her business or profession; the number of members holding that classification is limited according to the size of the club. The result is professional diversity, which enlivens the social atmosphere of the club and provides a rich resource of occupational expertise to carry out service projects.
The four Avenues of Service, based on the Object of Rotary, are Rotary's philosophical cornerstone and the foundation on which club activity is based:'
+ Club Service focuses on strengthening fellowship and ensuring the effective functioning of the club.
+Vocational Service encourages Rotarians to serve others through their vocations and to practice high ethical standards.
+Community Service covers the projects and activities the club undertakes to improve life in its community.
+ International Service encompasses actions taken to expand Rotary's humanitarian reach around the globe and to promote world understanding and peace.
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The Four-Way Test, followed by Rotarians worldwide in their business and professional life, was created by Rotarian Herbert J. Taylor in 1932. It has since been translated into more than 100 languages.
THE FOUR-WAY TEST
Of the Things We Think, Say or Do
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From Oct 2006 Rotarian (in part)- A few years ago, John W. Dean III, White House counsel under U.S. President Richard M. Nixon, addressed the District 5670 (Kansas, USA) Conference. The subject of his talk was "Watergate, War, and The Four-Way Test:" He concluded his remarks with this declaration: "I am going to tell you without fear of contradiction that had those of us in the Nixon White House who were involved in Watergate stopped to apply The Four-Way Test, even if only occasionally, there would have been no Watergate. In short, The Four-Way Test works. ... It will work for any issue, if only we are willing to use it." ....... As Rotarians, we should have The Four-Way Test in the back of our minds — if not the front — in every decision we make, all day long. ......our responsibilities as Rotarians: to speak the truth, to be fair, to build goodwill and better friendships, and to always try to do the best we can for everyone we encounter. ...make it known that we will not compromise our ethical standards. ...... Past RI President Richard Evans made it even simpler with one phrase: Is it right?.... As Rotarians, I hope we all take this advice to heart and Lead the Way in doing only what is right. RI Pres. Bill Boyd
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RI Programs
THE FOLLOWING programs and service opportunities are designed to help Rotarians meet needs in their own communities and reach out to assist people in need worldwide:
Interact Rotary clubs organize and sponsor this service organization for youth ages 14 to 18; almost 9,000 clubs in 113 countries.
Rotaract Rotary clubs organize and sponsor this leadership, professional development, and service organization for young adults, ages 18 to 30; more than 7,500 clubs in 155 countries.
Rotary Community Corps (RCC) Rotary clubs organize and sponsor these groups of non-Rotarians who work to improve their communities; more than 5,100 RCCs in 72 countries.
Rotary Fellowships International recreational, vocational, and health-related groups open to all Rotarians and spouses sharing common interests; approximately 75 fellowships.
Rotary Friendship Exchange Rotarians and their families make reciprocal visits to other countries, staying in each other's homes and learning about the culture firsthand.
Rotary Volunteers While every Rotarian is a volunteer, many also offer their special skills and experience to a project abroad for short periods every year.
Rotary Youth Exchange Clubs and districts sponsor and host students ages 15 to 19 who travel abroad for an academic year or an extended holiday, about 7,000 a year.
Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) Clubs and districts sponsor seminars to encourage and recognize leadership abilities of youth and young adults ages 14 to 30.
World Community Service (WCS) Rotary clubs and districts from two different countries form partnerships to implement community service projects; many such projects receive funding from The Rotary Foundation Humanitarian Grants Program.
(See Two Rivers Rotary, Service Projects)
RI RECOMMENDS that clubs planning service activities consider nine major needs or concerns: Children at Risk, Disabled Persons, Health Care, International Understanding and Goodwill, Literary and Numeracy, Population Issues, Poverty and Hunger, Preserve Planet Earth, and Urban Concerns.
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The Rotary Foundation
THE ROTARY FOUNDATION of RI is a not-for-profit corporation that receives contributions totaling more than US$75 million annually and spends more than $95 million each year in support of humanitarian and educational programs implemented by clubs and districts. Contributions from Rotarians go to the Foundation's Annual Programs Fund, which provides grants and awards through Foundation programs, and the Permanent Fund, an endowment from which only the earnings are spent in support of Foundation programs, ensuring the long-term viability of the Foundation.
Every dollar contributed by Rotarians funds the humanitarian and educational programs and program operations. Clubs and districts apply for and receive Foundation grants to carry out many worthy projects worldwide.
The Rotary Foundation's mission is to support the efforts of Rotary International in the fulfillment of the Object of Rotary, Rotary's mission, and the achievement of world understanding and peace through local, national, and international humanitarian, educational, and cultural programs.
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Humanitarian Grants Program
HUMANITARIAN GRANTS enable Rotarians to increase their support of international service projects that provide water wells, basic shelters, medical care, literary classes, and other essentials to people in need. Rotarian participation is key to the success of these projects.
District Simplified Grants enable districts to use a portion of their -- District Designated Fund (DDF) to support service activities or humanitarian endeavors that benefit local or international communities.
Volunteer Service Grants support the travel of Rotarians, Rotarian spouses, Rotaractors, and qualified Foundation alumni who are planning or implementing humanitarian service projects abroad.
Matching Grants assist Rotary clubs and districts in carrying out World Community Service projects with clubs in other countries.
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EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS are designed to promote international understanding by bringing together people from different countries and cultures.
Ambassadorial Scholarships are awarded to students to serve as ambassadors of goodwill while studying in countries other than their own.
Rotary World Peace Scholarships are awarded to individuals for study in master's degree programs at the Rotary Centers for International Studies in peace and conflict resolution.
Group Study Exchange is a cultural and vocational exchange program between districts in different countries for business and professional men and women ages 25 to 40. Rotary Grants for University Teachers are awarded to higher education faculty to teach abroad in an academic field of practical use to people in a low-income country.
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The final drive to a polio-free world THE POLIOPLUS program provides funding for vaccine and transportation for mass immunization campaigns as well as support for social mobilization, surveillance, and laboratories to help carry out the final stages of global polio eradication.
Major partners in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative: Rotary International, UNICEF, World Health Organization, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Achievements:
+ Rotarians raised US$247 million between 1985 and 1988 for polio eradication. By 2005, Rotary's contributions to global polio eradication will exceed $500 million.
+ Polio cases have declined more than 99 percent, from 350,000 cases in 1985 to fewer than 2,000 in 2002.
+ Polio has been eradicated in the Western Hemisphere (1994), the Western Pacific region (2000), and Europe (2002).
+ Almost two billion children have been immunized against polio since 1985. + Hundreds of thousands of Rotarians have mobilized to help immunize children, deliver vaccine, promote National Immunization Days, and conduct surveillance for the disease - despite poor infrastructure, extreme poverty, and conflict in many countries.
Benefits of eradication: After polio immunization has ceased, the ~~ savings are potentially as high as $1.5 billion per year - funds that could be used to address other public health priorities.
Recent efforts: A one-year campaign - Fulfilling Our Promise: Eradicate Polio - was launched on 1 July 2002 with the goal of raising $80 million to complete the job of eradicating polio.
See also Rotary Trivia
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Two Rivers Rotary Club • P.O. Box 272 • Two Rivers WI 54241-0272
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