I have been involved with Rotary International in different ways. They helped me get to the Soviet Union as a People-to-People student ambassador in 1989 with a donation. We worked together in Guinea, West Africa, where I was a Peace Corps Volunteer, to immunize children against polio, and I became a member during my time in Juneau (thanks again to some generous donations) as the Southeast District Director of the American Red Cross of Alaska. It was neat to be able to give something more back to an organization that was part of several major times in my life.
Paul Percy Harris founded Rotary International on Feb. 23, 1905 in Chicago. According to Rotary’s website, his stated purpose was to create a place where business people of different backgrounds could come together to form friendships and give back to their community. Rotary works to:
- Promote peace
- Fight disease
- Provide clean water, sanitation, and hygiene
- Save mothers and children
- Support education
- Grow local economies