Rotary International Aloha-Sunset Rotary Club, Hillsboro, Oregon RI 2009 Theme, The Future of Rotary is in Your Hands

About Aloha-Sunset Rotary Club

July 2001 THPRD Nature Park bench installation

ROTARY'S MOTTO: "Service Above Self"

Rotary is an organization of business and professional persons united worldwide, who provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations and help build goodwill and peace in the world.

The Object of Rotary

The Object of Rotary is to encourage and foster the ideal of service as a basis of worthy enterprise and, in particular, to encourage and foster:

FirstThe development of acquaintance as an opportunity for service;
SecondHigh 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;
ThirdThe application of the ideal of service in each Rotarian's personal, business and community life;
FourthThe advancement of international understanding, goodwill, and peace through a world fellowship of business and professional persons united in the ideal of service.

What is a Rotary Club?

The first Rotary Club was organized in Chicago, Illinois by Paul Harris, a lawyer. It first met on February 23, 1905.

The name "Rotary" was chosen because the Club met in rotation at each member's place of business. From the beginning, the Rotary idea of friendship, fellowship, and service to others has spread to six continents.

Aloha-Sunset Rotary was chartered in May, 1979.

Who are Rotarians?

Rotarians are business and professional leaders who take an active role in their communities while greatly enriching their personal and professional lives. A Rotary club contains a diverse group of professional leaders from the community that the club serves.

How does one become a Rotarian?

Membership is by invitation. A qualified candidate for Rotary club membership is an adult of good character and good business, professional, or community reputation. The candidate fits one of the following criteria:

What is expected of a Rotarian?

Rotarians, as a member of their Rotary club, are responsible for four key elements:
  1. Sustaining or increasing their membership base.
  2. Participating in service projects that benefit their own community and those in other countries.
  3. Supporting The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International financially and through program participation.
  4. Developing leaders capable of serving in Rotary beyond the club level.
Attending weekly club meetings allows members to enjoy their club's fellowship, enrich their professional and personal knowledge, and meet other business leaders in their community. If members miss their own club's meeting, they're encouraged to expand their Rotary horizons by attending make-up meetings at any Rotary club in the world - a practice that guarantees Rotarians a warm welcome in communities around the globe.

What is Rotary Service?

Rotary embodies the Ideal of Service. Members are supported in their projects in the local and global communities, in the areas of health, hunger, humanity and world peace.

What is the cost of belonging to Aloha-Sunset Rotary?

The initiation fee is $50.00. It provides for Rotary books, badges, certificates, pins, etc.

Annual dues are $160.00. Included are subscriptions to "The Rotarian," the monthly Rotary International magazine, and the club newsletter "The Hub" (this link is to a PDF document).

Lunch at the club meeting is $12.00 for the "full meal deal" including a ticket for our after-the-meeting raffle. There are special meetings each year for our holiday celebration and installation banquets, which cost around $50 per couple.

Service Contributions: Members are occasionally "fined" at meetings as a humorous method of raising funds for charity. The proceeds of the "fine" are dedicated to a variety of charitable and community organizations.

The average cost of membership is $1,100.00 per year, plus voluntary Rotary Foundation contributions.

The Rotary International Foundation: Rotarians are asked to voluntarily contribute financial support to the Foundation's projects. They can do this by becoming a Paul Harris Fellow with a contribution of $1,000 (US) or by becoming a Sustaining Member of the Foundation with an annual gift of $100 (US). When the cumulative amount reaches $1,000 (US), the Rotarian becomes a Paul Harris Fellow. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation have provided a Polio Eradication World-Wide challenge grant to match $100 million Rotary Member donations over the next three years.

What are the benefits of membership?

Networking: Enlarge your circle of business and professional acquaintances. Rotarians enjoy camaraderie with like-minded professionals, and club projects provide opportunities to develop enduring friendships. Club members who travel have friendly contacts in almost every city of the world.

Leadership: Team-building, fundraising, public speaking, planning, organization, and communication are just some of the leadership skills that club members can exercise and enhance. Being a Rotary leader provides further experience in motivating, inspiring, and guiding others.

Service: Members have opportunities for humanitarian service, both locally and internationally. Service programs address concerns such as health care, hunger, poverty, illiteracy, and the environment. Rotary sponsors some of the world's largest exchange and educational programs.

Our club undertakes a wide variety of projects in the service of promoting goodwill and understanding and an improved quality of life for all mankind. Typical service projects include: