Rotary began in Chicago in 1905, 19 years before the Reading club was formed, and has been operating for nearly a century. It is a Worldwide organisation of business and professional managers united to help those in need, to encourage high ethical standards in all walks of life, and to work towards world understanding and peace.

Rotary has more than 1 million members, men and women, belonging to some 30,000 Rotary Clubs in over 150 countries.

Every Rotary club meets weekly and each member pledges to attend their own or an outside Club regularly. It is through regular contact that active service locally, regionally, or internationally is achieved.

Rotary runs the biggest non-governmental educational scheme in the world through the Rotary Foundation. It provides grants and scholarships for young people to visit and study in other counties. Rotary Foundation's most ambitious humanitarian program to date has been Polio Plus, a campaign to help the World Health Organisation and UNICEF to immunise the world's children against Polio, Measles, Diphtheria, Whooping Cough, Tetnus, and Tuberculosis.

The Rotary Club of Reading, one of seven clubs in the Town, was formed in 1922, and has served Reading for over 80 years. The Club has approximately 50 members drawn from the local business and professional community. Membership is only possible by invitation from an existing member. Members pledge to attend Rotary's weekly meetings, which are held at the Renaissance Hotel, situated along Oxford Rd. A variety of interesting outside speakers give talks to members at most of the meetings.

The Club does considerable work in the community, which is undertaken through four main service committees:

• Community and Vocational service
• Youth Opportunities
• International
• Foundation

For more detailed information about these committees, please contact one of our members.

The Rotary Organisation

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:
• The development of acquaintance as an opportunity for service;
  High ethical standards in business and professions; the recognition of the worthiness of all useful occupations; and the dignifying by each Rotarian's occupation as an opportunity to serve society;
• The application of the ideal of service in every Rotarian's personal, business and community life;
• The advancement of international understanding, goodwill and peace through a world fellowship of business and professional persons united in the ideal of service.