ROTARY CLUB OF FAIRLAWN
History
Rotary is a service organization of business and professional leaders united worldwide who conduct humanitarian projects, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations and work toward world understanding and peace in the world. There are over 29,000 Rotary clubs in 163 countries, with nearly 1.2 million members worldwide. Rotary clubs meet weekly so that members may discuss the club's service goals and enjoy each other's fellowship. Membership is by invitation.
Attorney Paul Harris organized the first Rotary Club in Chicago in 1905. In the fall of 1963, a group of area business and professional men met to discuss forming a local (Bath, OH) Rotary Club. With the assistance of Akron Rotary, it was agreed that the Bath Rotary would include the communities of Bath, Richfield, Fairlawn and Copley. After many meetings, the Rotary Club of Bath, Ohio was chartered 9 April 1964. In 1978, the name was changed to the Rotary Club of Northwest Summit County. Then in 2007 the name was changed to The Rotary Club of Fairlawn.
The Fairlawn Club meets each Wednesday at 7:30 a.m. at Fairlawn Country Club. The program begins with a buffet breakfast followed by the regular business meeting and a brief presentation by a guest speaker. Our speakers enlighten and entertain us with a variety of topics ranging from education, sports, and financial seminars and community service organizations. The members of our club are committed to the ideals that Rotary was founded upon - "Service above Self"
Our Objectives
"Service Above Self" is the ideal that made Rotary the world's first service club organization and from the beginning the objectives of Rotary have stayed the same:
- Development of fellowship and understanding among business and professional individuals in the community.
- Community betterment and high ethical standards in business and professional practices.
- Advancement of
international understanding, goodwill and peace.
The philosophy of rotary can be summed up in two words: Fellowship & Service. Fellowship is the spirit that animates service. Service is the action that expresses Fellowship.
Fellowship
Fellowship was the original motivating power of Rotary and it remains one of the most satisfying results of membership. It is the engine that powers Rotary. Fellowship thrives when all members participate. There is an old saying in Rotary. "No one derives fellowship from an empty chair."
Our programs strive to promote acquaintance and friendship among members and encourage active participation in Rotary service, recreational and social events. Guests and spouses are also invited to many yearly events including: the annual summer boat outing at Portage Lakes, Christmas Basket packing and delivery to needy families, and the Reverse Raffle, Auction, and Dinner fund-raiser.
Service
Through our charitable 501(c)(3) tax exempt Foundation, the Fairlawn Rotary Club organizes, host and participates in an annual fund-raiser. This "Spring Gala" is a Reverse Raffle, Auction and Dinner.
For the past eleven years we hosted this event as friends of the Boy Scouts of America-Great Trail Council. Each year the black-tie affair was attended by over 500 community citizens and Rotarians; and raised an accumulative amount of $675,000.
All proceeds provide services to over 15,000 scouts in Northeast Ohio and is also used to fund the many charitable projects of the Fairlawn Rotary Club.
Membership Eligibility
Membership to any Rotary Club is by invitation. Clubs select a cross section of community-minded people to become active participants. Members must reside in or have a place of business within the established boundaries, or a contiguous community.
The name Rotary was chosen to reflect the goal of rotating meetings to the different business locations of members. Today, there are 25,000 Rotary Clubs with 1.1 million members worldwide. The International headquarters is located in Evanston, Illinois.
The 4-Way Test
From the earliest days of the organization, Rotarians were concerned with promoting high ethical standards in their professional lives. One of the world's most widely printed and quoted statements of business ethics is The 4-Way Test, which was created in 1932 by Rotarian Herbert J. Taylor (who later served as Rotary International president) when he was asked to take charge of a company that was facing bankruptcy. This 24-word test for employees to follow in their business and professional lives became the guide for sales, production, advertising, and all relations with dealers and customers, and the survival of the company is credited to this simple philosophy. Adopted by Rotary in 1943, The 4-Way Test has been translated into more than a hundred languages and published in thousands of ways. It asks the following four questions:
"Of the things we think, say or do:
Is it the TRUTH?
Is it FAIR to all concerned?
Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?
Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?"
Want More Information on how you can help serve?
Contact:
Fairlawn Rotary Club
P.O. Box 13063
Fairlawn, Ohio 44334
email us: Rotary Club of Fairlawn