WHY JOIN?
If you believe that civic participation is an essential element in the life of a well-rounded business leader, please consider becoming a candidate for membership in the St. Albans Rotary club and connect with like-minded leaders.
Why consider membership in any Rotary Club?
With a global network of over 1.3 million community volunteers, Rotary members are business, professional, and community leaders who provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards, and help build goodwill and peace in the world. Over 33,000 local Rotary clubs worldwide in more than 200 countries and geographical areas initiate service projects to address today’s challenges, including illiteracy, disease, hunger, poverty, lack of clean water, and environmental concerns. Rotary International’s major initiative is PolioPlus, an ambitious program to immunize the world’s children against polio in partnership with the Gates Foundation, World Health Organization, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and UNICEF. Rotary’s motto is “Service Above Self.”
Membership Principles
Rotary’s guiding principles have been developed over the years to provide Rotarians worldwide with a strong, common purpose and direction. They serve as a foundation for our relationships with each other and the action we take in the world.
Objective of Rotary
The Objective 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.
The Four-Way Test
The Four-Way Test is a nonpartisan and nonsectarian ethical guide for Rotarians to use for their personal and professional relationships. We as a group, recite these four items at the beginning of each meeting to help reinforce the things we think, say or do;
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Is it the TRUTH?
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Is it FAIR to all concerned?
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Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?
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Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?
Avenues of Club Service
We channel our commitment to service at home and abroad through five Avenues of Service, which are the foundation of club activity. Club Service focuses on making clubs strong. A thriving club is anchored by strong relationships and an active membership development plan.
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Vocational Service calls on every Rotarian to work with integrity and contribute their expertise to the problems and needs of society. Learn more in An Introduction to Vocational Service and the Code of Conduct.
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Community Service encourages every Rotarian to find ways to improve the quality of life for people in their communities and to serve the public interest. Learn more in Communities in Action: A Guide to Effective Projects and this Community Service presentation (PPT).
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International Service exemplifies our global reach in promoting peace and understanding. We support this service avenue by sponsoring or volunteering on international projects, seeking partners abroad, and more.
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Youth Service recognizes the importance of empowering youth and young professionals through leadership development programs such as Rotaract, Interact, Rotary Youth Leadership Awards, and Rotary Youth Exchange.