Rotary is short for Rotary International a worldwide association of local clubs for men and women in business or the professions who:
Provide humanitarian service via the Rotary Foundation and the community at local, national and international level.
Encourage high ethical standards in all vocations.
Work for good will and peace in the world.
Rotary also provides fun and fellowship for its members, through social events and competitions. Rotary also sponsors Rotaract a similar club for young adults.
Rotary was founded in 1905 and now has over 1.2 million members in more than 28,000 clubs in 155 countries and 35 geographical regions.
In the London Borough of Sutton there are six Rotary Clubs, covering the various parts of the Borough. One club meets for Breakfast and the other five meet in the Evenings, at differing times. The clubs support a large number of wide ranging activities and projects around the borough; these include driving the elderly and disabled, two projects for Carers, Carnivals in both Cheam and Carshalton, an Open Air Concert, working with Day Centres, a School Public Speaking competition and recently the clubs have combined on the Rotary Centenary and a Millennium Project.
Rotary is compassion for the underprivileged, the ill and the disabled, who benefit from over 50,000 Rotary projects in the world each year
Rotary runs the biggest non-government scholarship scheme in the world.
The Rotary Foundation gives over £40M per year to educational and humanitarian programmes.
Rotary has been fundamental in the eradication of Polio in the world. £200M has been committed to this cause benefiting 118 nations