The Rotary is a worldwide organization with members of professional and business leaders who believe in the importance of the humanitarian help, set high ethical standards in every profession and help the nations to find peace and to build good relationships. The cooperation joins people of various ethnic and religious backgrounds, of different political views in a friendly atmosphere. The first club was founded in Chicago (USA, Illinois) by a lawyer, Paul Percy Harris on the 23rd of February, 1905. The Rotary has expanded rapidly, first in the United States, from the 1920’s in Europe, then in other parts of the world as well. Today the Rotary is present in 166 countries, in 529 regions, has about 1.2 million male and female members, making it the world’s largest charitable organization.
In Hungary the Rotary was revived in 1989 and today it has more than 1000 members. The Rotary Club Budapest-Budavár was among the first clubs, it was founded in 1990.
The purpose of the Rotary is to highlight the importance of understanding and goodwill, to help the nations to keep peace and justice in everyday life (“Service Above Self”). One of the purposes of Rotary is to make the life of disadvantaged people (visually impaired, disabled) easier. Our charitable actions are based on the work and financial support of our members. The Rotary intends to fulfill these goals following the below principles.
1. The development of acquaintance as an opportunity for service;
2. 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;
3. The application of the ideal of service in each Rotarian’s personal, business, and community life;
4. The advancement of international understanding, goodwill, and peace through a world fellowship of business and professional persons united in the ideal of service.
All the Rotarians have to live and work according to these four principles; otherwise they can not be members anymore.