Happy 115th Birthday Rotary

Rotary celebrates 115 years today. Much has changed in the world since 1905. Then, the global population was roughly 1.7 billion. Today, it is 7.7 billion. There were 5 telephones per 100 people in the United States 115 years ago. In 2020, it is estimated that 96 percent of the U.S. population has a cellphone — and both China and India have more than a billion cellphones in use.

In the 115 years since Rotary was founded, seemingly everything has changed except Rotary values. Rotary began and remains committed to fellowship, integrity, diversity, service, and leadership following the Service motto (dating from 1911 though the ethos behind it had already been ingrained by Rotary’s founders) Service Above Self.

As Rotary celebrates 115 years on 23 February Rotary International President Mark Maloney writes: Happy 115th birthday, fellow Rotarians and members of the family of Rotary! As the pace of change worldwide continues to accelerate the need for Rotary service is greater than ever … Rotary projects change lives and connect the world…We will continue to make lives better as Rotary Connects the World.