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Grammy award-winning singer Angelique Kidjo will be a speaker at the 2012 RI Convention in Bangkok, Thailand, 6-9 May. Photo by Cheryl Richards

Grammy award-winning singer Angelique Kidjo will join an impressive lineup of speakers at the 2012 RI Convention in Bangkok, Thailand, 6-9 May.

Register by 1 March and you’ll pay US$195 to attend the convention. After that, the price for Rotarians, spouses, and guests older than 19 increases to US$245.

A UNICEF goodwill ambassador, Kidjo has used her musical talents to inspire and empower others around the world. Through her foundation, Batonga, she promotes the education of girls in Africa. And she has campaigned for fair trade and an end to small-arms sales, which fuel conflict and human rights abuses in Africa. Read more about Kidjo from The Rotarian’s April 2011 issue .

Kidjo will speak during a convention plenary session on Monday, 7 May. Before that, she will address the Rotary World Peace Symposium on Friday, 4 May.

Other convention speakers include Nobel Peace Prize recipient Muhammad Yunus, Global Poverty Project CEO Hugh Evans, and former Rotary Peace Fellow Amanda Martin.

Yunus

Yunus was an economics professor at the University of Chittagong in Bangladesh when he began transforming lives through microcredit. What began as personal microloans to poor women in nearby villages grew into Grameen Bank, which today has more than 2,500 branches throughout the country.

Evans

Evans is cofounder and CEO of the Global Poverty Project , which is dedicated to motivating people to take action to end extreme poverty. It recently added polio eradication to its list of campaigns.  

Martin

Martin is working as a public health curriculum coordinator and teacher in a refugee camp on the border of Thailand and Myanmar. She completed a three-month fellowship last spring at the Rotary Peace Center at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok.

A boy and a Tiger

Local Rotarians have also arranged cultural excursions and events to help convention goers enjoy their stay in Bangkok. These Host Organization Committee ticketed events include “a boy and a TIGER,” a presentation celebrating the youth of Thailand with music, dance, gymnastics, and multimedia effects. The performers, who come from schools and charitable institutions throughout the country, include underprivileged and HIV-infected young people. The internationally acclaimed program was inspired by the novel “The Life of Pi.”

For more information:

• Register for the convention and RI-ticketed events.
• Register for host-ticketed events .
• Find out more about 2012 Convention speakers .
• Learn about travel discounts through Star Alliance member airlines .
• Learn more about the Rotary World Peace Symposium .

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A Rotarian immunizes a child in Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh, India. The country has not reported a case of polio in more than a year. Photo by Allison Kwesell

In the wake of India achieving one year without a case of polio, the Indian Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, in partnership with Rotary International, is organizing Polio Summit 2012. It will be held  25-26 February in New Delhi. 

The summit is aimed at sustaining the country’s momentum toward eradicating polio by increasing awareness of the disease,  securing strong support from governments and other partners, and promoting routine immunization. The meeting also will create a platform for government and health officials to develop a strategy for ending the disease in the three other countries where it is endemic — Afghanistan, Nigeria, and Pakistan — and throughout the world.

More than 1,000 government leaders, health officials, and Rotarians from India and neighboring countries, along with representatives from Rotary International, the World Health Organization, UNICEF, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Bill Melinda Gates Foundation, are expected to attend the event.

“The Polio Summit will help greatly in continuing advocacy with political, bureaucratic, and religious, as well as corporate and social, leaders and other organizations,” says RI President Kalyan Banerjee. 

Before the summit, on 19 February, more than 200 Rotarians from several countries will participate with their Indian counterparts in the country’s National Immunization Day. About half of the visiting Rotarians also plan to attend the Polio Summit. 

Afterward, on 27 February, the annual National PolioPlus Orientation and Planning Meeting for RI governors-elect and district PolioPlus chairs will be held in New Delhi, hosted by the India PolioPlus Committee. 

“India is tantalizingly close to eradicating polio,” says Past RI President Rajendra K. Saboo, chair of the summit. “Rotary International has committed to be the torchbearer until India and the world become polio-free.” 

Ghulam Nabi Azad, India’s minister of health and family welfare, credited Rotary with helping his country near the goal of polio eradication when he spoke at RI World Headquarters in Evanston, Illinois, USA, in September. He cited “not only the mobilization of funds, but the active participation of Rotarians in the field,” and said, “My country has benefited greatly from your support, and I thank all of you.”

For more information:

• Read “Rotary celebrate’s India’s first polio-free year“
• Learn about Rotary’s efforts to eradicate polio
• See a video about what it takes to eradicate polio
• Check out the new Rotary Voices blog and get insider details from India National PolioPlus Committee Chair Deepak Kapur and Bill Gates of the Bill Melinda Gates Foundation
• Help End Polio Now

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Francesca Del Mese, 2002-04 Rotary Peace Fellow

A barrister for the British government, Francesca Del Mese sought a Rotary Peace Fellowship in order to pursue international work.

Sponsored by the Rotary Club of Watford, England, she applied and was accepted into the 2002-04 class at the University of Queensland in Australia. For her applied field experience, she worked in the UN Special Court for Sierra Leone, and later prosecuted war criminals of the former Yugoslavia in The Hague. As a consultant at The Hague, she trained judges from Jordan on international criminal law.

Del Mese is one of more than 600 former peace fellows who have gone on to build peace in their communities and nations after completing their Peace Centers studies. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Rotary Centers for International Studies in peace and conflict resolution.

In 2007, Del Mese traveled to Uganda to advise a London-based nonprofit concerned with human rights violations stemming from the country’s 20-year civil war. Del Mese interviewed dozens of the some 30,000 Ugandan children who survived abduction.

“I typically would hear that they had been taken in the middle of the night by rebels, their  families were murdered in front of them, and they were beaten and forced to fight for  several years before either escaping or being released,” Del Mese said.

Having missed the chance to receive an education, those who returned home found only menial jobs with meager wages, such as picking up garbage or digging holes.

“Without education, their chances of getting better jobs were hopeless,” said Del Mese. “Many [interviewees] were specific about what they wanted to be: teachers, tailors, builders, accountants.”

Last year, Del Mese became the legal adviser, based in Geneva, for the UN Commission of Inquiry into atrocities committed in Syria. She has since moved back to the London area, but some dark memories have been difficult to escape, such as reviewing multiple torture cases.

“Now I bank well-being,” Del Mese says, explaining why she spends much of her free time walking her dog, Sadie, in the quiet woods near her home.

Current and former Rotary Peace Fellows, other Rotary Foundation alumni, and Rotarians will have an opportunity to hear the latest developments in peace and conflict resolution and learn practical skills from experts in the field during the Rotary World Peace Symposium in Bangkok, Thailand. The symposium, together with the Rotary Alumni Celebration, will be held 3-5 May, immediately preceding the 2012 RI Convention.

For more information:

• Read a profile of ten peace fellows in the February edition of The Rotarian
• Read more about the 2012 Rotary World Peace Symposium
• Learn more about the Rotary Peace Centers program

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Glenn E. Estess Sr., 2004-05 RI president

Glenn E. Estess Sr., who served as 2004-05 RI president during Rotary’s centennial year, died on 7 February. He was 84.

In 1993, Estess retired as chief executive officer of Glenn Estess Associates Inc., a sales and marketing personnel consulting firm, to devote himself full-time to Rotary.

“I am sure the word most often used to describe Past President Glenn is ‘gentle,’” says Rotary Foundation Trustee Chair William B. Boyd. “He was strong in his beliefs but always gentle in expressing them and treated all people with respect and courtesy. He served the world through Rotary in many ways and always with a smile. The Rotary family will miss him. Our hearts go out to his wife, Mary.”

Estess, who joined Rotary in 1960, was a member of the Rotary Club of Shades Valley, Alabama, USA. In addition to his term as RI president, he served in numerous capacities including Rotary Foundation trustee chair, RI vice president and director, president’s aide, PolioPlus national coordinator, RI Audit and Operations Review Committee chair, International Assembly group discussion leader, and district governor.

He was a recipient of the RI Service Above Self Award and The Rotary Foundation’s Citation for Meritorious Service and Distinguished Service Award. He was a Foundation Major Donor, a Paul Harris Fellow, and benefactor.

Through the RI theme Celebrate Rotary , Estess encouraged clubs to implement a Rotary centennial community project, form twin club relationships, and support the Every Rotarian, Every Year effort, which aims to achieve an annual US$100 per capita contribution level for the Foundation’s Annual Fund.

“Glenn Estess had an uncomplicated but effective theme for Rotary’s centennial year,” says RI President Kalyan Banerjee. “He celebrated Rotary so aptly and simply during that year. It was amazing. Glenn was always humble, courteous, straightforward, and always doing the right thing.”

Estess served as president of the Birmingham Sales Marketing Executives Association and the Alabama Association of Personnel Consultants.

Estess’ other accomplishments included director of Central Alabama Better Business Bureau; trustee chair of Baptist Medical Centers; chair of YMCA in Florida, the American Chemical Society, and the American Arthritis Foundation; and regent of the National Association of Personnel Consultants.

He is survived by his wife, Mary; son Glenn Estess Jr.; and daughters Elizabeth Wilson and Nancy Martin.

Funeral services will be held on Friday, 10 February, at 1 p.m. at Brookwood Baptist Church, 3944 Overton Road, Birmingham, Alabama, 35223. Visitation will be held Thursday, 9 February, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the church.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Glenn E. Estess Sr. Endowed Scholarship Fund at The Rotary Foundation, either online or through an RI international office. Contributions may also be directed to the Glenn E. Estess Sr. Endowed Scholarship Fund, under the Foundation’s Permanent Fund.

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Emmanuel Jal, former Sudanese child soldier turned advocate for international peace, will speak at the Rotary World Peace Symposium in May. Photo courtesy of Greater Talent Network

Emmanuel Jal has an extraordinary story to tell. A former child soldier in Sudan, Jal is now a hip-hop artist, author, and actor, as well as a spokesperson for Amnesty International and Oxfam. He also has worked on behalf of Save the Children, UNICEF, the World Food Programme, and Christian Aid.   

“I believe I have survived for a reason: to tell my story and touch lives,” Jal says. “If I testify, I might prevent another kid from losing his childhood.” 

Jal will share his experiences as a featured speaker at the Rotary World Peace Symposium in Bangkok, Thailand. The symposium, together with the Rotary Alumni Celebration, will be held 3-5 May, immediately preceding the 2012 RI Convention. The symposium will offer current and former Rotary Peace Fellows, other Rotary Foundation alumni, and Rotarians an opportunity to hear about the latest developments in peace and conflict resolution and to learn practical skills from experts in the field.  

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Rotary Centers for International Studies in peace and conflict resolution. The seven centers, located at universities around the world, offer future world and community leaders the opportunity to pursue a master’s degree or professional development certificate in international studies, conflict resolution, or a related area. Of the more than 600 peace fellow alumni, about 62 percent now work for governments, nongovernmental organizations, or multilateral organizations like the United Nations and World Bank. 

Among the alumni is Josephus Tenga, who shares Jal’s great hope for lasting peace in the world. In 1999, Tenga and his family fled for their lives during the civil war in Sierra Leone. Later, at the urging of a Canadian Rotarian who heard him speak about the experience, Tenga applied to become a Rotary Peace Fellow. He studied at the peace center at Duke University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, in North Carolina, USA, in 2004-06. 

Tenga has served as technical adviser to Sudan’s Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration Commission, which helped pave the way for the establishment, last July, of the Republic of South Sudan. 

“Violence . . . is an industry,” he says. “People are making money off it, and we cannot ignore it.”

For more information:

• Learn more about the 2012 Rotary World Peace Symposium  (PDF)
• Register for the 2012 RI Convention
• Read a profile of ten peace fellows in the February edition of The Rotarian

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Top: The Rotary Club of Grantham, Lincolnshire, England, will be attempting to set a world record with a global swimming event 25 February. Photo courtesy Rotary Club of Grantham Bottom: A new “This Close” print advertising campaign will feature Aseefa Bhutto Zardari, Pakistan’s ambassador for polio eradication and the president’s daughter, seen here administering the polio vaccine. Photo courtesy Aziz Memon

Thousands of participants around the world plan to swim 100 meters or more on 25 February in an effort to set a new Guinness World Record and to raise money for Rotary’s polio eradication campaign.

It’s just one of many events being planned by Rotarians the week of 23 February to celebrate Rotary’s 107th anniversary. 

The global event is being organized by the Rotary Club of Grantham, Lincolnshire, England, which has held an annual swim fundraiser since 1990 to support local charities. Participants swim laps in a pool to raise pledges during the “swimarathons.”

This year, in addition to their local event, the Grantham Rotarians decided to spearhead a worldwide swim the week of Rotary’s anniversary. In order to set a new one-hour swimming record, they need 2,355 swimmers to complete more than 100 meters between 12:00 and 13:00 GMT.

So far, 78 clubs have registered to participate by holding their own swimming fundraisers for polio.

“The idea of setting a world record started as a bit of a joke,” says Roger Graves, event chairman. “But now that the reality has set in, we hope to set a new world record, raise funds toward eliminating polio, increase awareness of Rotary, and encourage more people to swim and stay fit.”

Other events

Among other events being planned around the world to mark Rotary’s anniversary, teams of Rotarians from the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and the United States will volunteer during National Immunization Days in India, 19-22 February, in advance of a polio summit 25-26 February in Delhi, India. In Pakistan, a new “This Close” print advertising campaign will be launched featuring Aseefa Bhutto Zardari, the president’s daughter and the country’s ambassador for polio eradication.

Also, throughout the week of 23 February, Rotary clubs and districts will be illuminating landmarks around the world with the End Polio Now message.

This year, the landmarks include the Water and Power Development Authority building in Lahore, Pakistan, and Frere Hall in Karachi; the Roppongi Hills skyscraper in Tokyo; Federation Square in Melbourne, Australia; and City Hall in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Ways to celebrate

Honor Rotary’s anniversary by planning an event in your community. Here are some resources to help your club or district join the celebration:

• Learn how to plan an End Polio Now lighting.
• Check out a list of ways to celebrate.
• Download a Rotary Day proclamation.
• Use Rotary Images to help tell Rotary’s story.
• Find out how to contact your Rotary public image coordinator.
• Download “This Close” campaign resources.

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I was about to turn 40 when I joined Rotary. The timing was perfect. I’d wandered into a profession, computer software development, where I was disconnected from any community.

I was developing a somewhat complex database program for betting on horse races, based on 70 variables for each horse that enabled me and my colleagues to determine its true odds of winning in any race, once we entered all the data and did our modeling.

My interaction was entirely with a computer screen. We didn’t have customers or clients, so I had little opportunity to connect with other humans. And I was living in Hong Kong, a long way from Pittsburgh, my home. Our goal was to handicap every Hong Kong racehorse based on past performance, track conditions, and so forth, and place strategic bets based on the results. It was a huge amount of work – but profitable and perfectly legal.

Our business lawyer, Gilbert Collins, invited me twice to join the Rotary Club of Kowloon North before I accepted. I must have had some trepidation; I’m not a joiner by nature. But before I knew it, I was on my way to becoming a member.

Rotarians respect the dignity and usefulness of all professions. There was no service component to mine, so I felt immensely honored to have been asked. In the first year after I became a member, I learned more about the Hong Kong community than in all the time I’d been living there. Looking back, it’s not surprising that I would become deeply involved in the club’s service projects.

Crumbing schools

I have a fondness and an aptitude for numbers, which helps – and, as I discovered through Rotary, a passion for putting my skills to work for causes I believe in. As the club’s international service director, I was charged with reaching out to join forces with clubs in other countries.

Bruce Stinson, past president of the Kowloon North club, had already made friends with Sai-Hong Choi, past president of the Rotary Club of Macau, and had visited impoverished Du’an County in southeast China in 1999. He’d been moved to tears by the condition of many of the area’s rural schools – the roofs and walls had collapsed, and there were no desks or seats, he reported. The Macau club lacked funding, and that’s where we stepped in.

I knew that it would be something of a gamble to make our way through the Chinese regional bureaucracy and ensure that the money we raised went where it was intended, but I’d been gambling successfully for most of my adult life. As I got to know the Chinese government officials in Du’an, my level of trust increased. They turned out to be sincere and honest and grateful for our help.

The government agreed to put up half the money if we put up the other half – a total cost of about $60,000 to rebuild each school. To me, this seemed like a slam-dunk, and thanks to the success of my business, I was able to donate a substantial amount of those costs on my own.

The Kowloon North club teamed up with the Macau club to build the first three schools in the region, and since then, our district’s clubs have been able to fund many more. Putting the money into bricks and mortar assured us we were creating something of lasting value, that the money wasn’t being frittered away. It was my kind of gamble.

For me, one of the most rewarding results of these service projects is to watch my perceptions bump up against reality. I expected China to be a tyrannical place, even brutal.

Noticable change

But my Rotarian colleagues and I learned a few things as we watched the Long’an middle school in Du’an being transformed from a dilapidated building into a functional structure. I asked the headmaster about discipline. “Do you spank students?” I wondered. He looked at me incredulously. “ Spank students?” He was shocked at the suggestion. Teachers and administrators are forbidden to employ physical punishment, he explained. “They do that in your country?” It was inconceivable to him that we could even think that was possible. So much for my concern about social protectors.

Now, about 11 years after the first schools were rebuilt, Du’an has become a thriving region. When we visited in 2008, schoolchildren no longer looked at our cameras in awe; they snapped digital photos of us with their smartphones. There had been an amazing upsurge in prosperity. Our first school project was dwarfed, in a good way, by high-rises all around.

Did I ever expect to become involved in so many projects, or to meet my wife, Vivian, in the Rotary Club of Kowloon North – she is a past president of the Rotary Club of Peninsula Sunrise, Hong Kong – and to marry for the first time at age 53? I wouldn’t have laid odds on any of those things happening.

But computer programs, even mine, have serious limitations. They couldn’t have predicted the adventures I’ve had or the personal rewards that have come my way through Rotary. I donate to The Rotary Foundation because I believe in its mission.

Read the full article in the November 2011 issue of The Rotarian

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The Capitol of Puerto Rico shines with an End Polio Now message, part of an integrated public relations campaign that included billboards, radio, and media interviews. Photo by Manolo Diaz

A Public Relations Grant helped John Richardson, past governor of District 7000 (Puerto Rico), turn a good idea for promoting Rotary into an even better one. 

Richardson began his year as governor last July with a simple plan to reinvigorate and reposition the Rotary brand in Puerto Rico by using billboards alongside two busy highways. That idea led to an elaborate light show on the capitol building in San Juan, featuring Rotary’s End Polio Now message. 

Richardson’s district initially received a US$9,000 PR grant from Rotary International for the advertising campaign, which also included radio spots. Puerto Rico’s 32 clubs also provided funding.   

The campaign cascaded into something bigger when the district applied for a separate $5,000 grant from RI to fund a 23 February lighting to commemorate Rotary’s anniversary. Richardson found a sponsor to match that $5,000, giving him enough to coordinate a 3-D light show on the capitol.  

The district team worked closely with RI Media Relations to prepare to speak about Rotary on live television, including a popular morning show. The lighting event drew a crowd of nearly 500 people, including government officials.  

“It was really wonderful to see,” says Richardson. 

The RI Board has agreed to fund $4 million in PR grants annually for the next three years to advance the strategic priority of enhancing public image and awareness. 

Your district can follow District 7000′s example by applying for a PR grant of up to $15,000 to promote Rotary through television, radio, print, outdoor, or online public service announcements in your community.

The early application deadline for 2012-13 PR grants is 4 March. District governors will receive email notification of grant approval or denial by 1 July, enabling districts to begin their projects at the start of the Rotary year. Learn more.  

Looking for more good examples to share with your district? Here’s how a few other districts have used PR grants to promote Rotary: 

• In Taiwan, District 3520 placed Rotary’s 30-second public service announcement videos in the lobbies of more than 500 buildings, strategically located near the elevators. About 700,000 people saw them.
• District 4290 in Colombia adapted Rotary’s billboard depicting a child receiving oral polio vaccine to include local service projects focused on water, literacy, and hunger. It placed billboards throughout the district for six months.
• In the San Francisco Bay Area, districts 5130, 5150, 5160, and 5170 sponsored a Walk to End Polio across the Golden Gate Bridge for World Polio Day, 24 October. A PR grant helped fund ” This Close ” billboards on buses and at the airport, as well as magazine ads and radio spots. The event included an End Polio Now lighting on the Ferry Building near the bridge.
• Rotarians in District 6840, which covers parts of Louisiana and Mississippi, USA, negotiated a special discount rate to place Humanity in Motion billboards around New Orleans before and during the 2011 RI Convention, complementing Rotary International’s own ad placements.
• In India, District 3212 published an eight-page color supplement in the Hindu , a newspaper with a circulation of 1.45 million. The January 2009 supplement featured materials from Humanity in Motion and the RI website.
• In New Zealand, District 9910 localized Humanity in Motion billboards by adding contact information. The district, which also covers New Caledonia, Norfolk Island, and Vanuatu, also landed free advertising in all bus shelters in New Zealand’s populous Auckland Region.

PR grants are awarded on a competitive basis. Contact prgrants@rotary.org for more information.

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The Interact Club of Episcopal School of Knoxville, Tennessee, USA, is the grand-prize winner of the 2011 Interact video contest with its entry, “Change 4 Change.”

The video tells the story of how students at the Episcopal School of Knoxville collaborated to produce an illustrated children’s book about the worldwide effort to eradicate polio. Managed by eighth-grade Interactors and club advisers Laurie Coburn and Susan Lancaster, the book aims to raise funds and build awareness for Rotary’s End Polio Now campaign. 

Kindergarten through fifth-grade students drew pictures for the book, also titled Change 4 Change, after the Interactors gave presentations to the children about  polio and Rotary’s campaign. For the video, club members picked drawings and asked some of the children to read from the book.

Coburn, who authored the book with the Interactors, says it shows how children in their own community can help kids in other parts of the world.

“The book project was a way for younger students to learn about how the disease impacts children their own age,” says Coburn. “The Interactors did an incredible job of bringing students from the entire school together on this project.”

Interactors directed, produced, and created original music for the video.

Club president Rhetta Botts says her fellow members were excited after learning their video had won the contest.

“It took a while for the information to sink in but after a few minutes passed, the feeling of accomplishment set in,” says Botts. “I’m very proud of what we put together and the effort of every member of the club.”

Botts says her favorite part of making the video was interacting with the younger students. “It was fun to see the drawings they made, and hear all the questions and comments about how we are helping other children across the globe,” she says.

The club also organizes “Purple Pinkie Friday” where students who bring in 60 cents, the cost of inoculating one child, get their pinkie fingernail painted purple. This is how volunteers keep track of who’s received a vaccine during a National Immunization Day. In February, Interactors are selling the book as a fundraiser for Rotary’s End Polio Now campaign.

“I hope that the video and book show how close we are to ending polio,” says Botts. “If everyone pitches in, even a little bit, we can eradicate it.”

The third annual Interact video contest received entries from Interact clubs and their sponsor Rotary clubs in 11 countries. Entrants were asked to create a short video (no more than three minutes) about how they demonstrate international action. Entries were judged by a panel that included members of the 2011-12 Rotaract and Interact Committee and RI staff. The winning club will receive an engraved plaque and a signed letter from RI President Kalyan Banerjee.

In addition to the grand-prize winner, three clubs were selected as finalists: the Interact Club of Alexandria Sporting, Egypt; the Interact Club of Raffles Institution, Singapore; and the Interact Club of Webb School of Knoxville, Tennessee, USA.

For more information:

• Learn more about Interact
• See the winner of the 2010 Interact video contest

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D id you know that Rotary founder Paul Harris wasn’t the first president of a Rotary club? 

That distinction is actually held by Harris’s friend Silvester Schiele, who served as the first president of the Rotary Club of Chicago. Harris deferred his club leadership duties until February 1907, when he was elected the third president of the Chicago club. 

In honor of Rotary Awareness Month in January, here’s a collection of facts and firsts to expand your knowledge of Rotary. Get the new year off to a good start by sharing a few of these at your next club meeting:  

Club firsts

On 23 February 1905, Paul P. Harris, Gustavus Loehr, Silvester Schiele, and Hiram E. Shorey gathered in Chicago for what would become known as the first Rotary club meeting. A second club was formed in San Francisco in 1908, and soon after, clubs began to pop up across North America. 

On 1 August 1912, the Rotary Club of London became the first club chartered outside of North America. The Rotary Club of Dublin, Ireland, had been organized earlier, but didn’t receive its charter until 1 May 1913.

Presidential firsts

Paul Harris was elected as first president of the National Association of Rotary Clubs (which later became Rotary International) in 1910, and is the only president to have served two terms. 

Other firsts: Canadian E. Leslie Pidgeon (1917-18) was the first Rotary president from outside the United States, Sydney W. Pascall (1931-32) was the first from Great Britain, and Maurice Duperrey (1937-38) was the first from continental Europe. Learn more about past Rotary presidents. 

Foundation firsts

In 1929, The Rotary Foundation gave its first gift, US$500, to the International Society for Crippled Children (later Easter Seals), which was founded in 1921 by Rotarian Edgar F. Allen, of the Rotary Club of Elyria, Ohio, USA. Read more about Allen and Easter Seals. 

Paul Harris Fellow recognition was established in 1957 to show appreciation for contributions, and to encourage substantial ones, to what was then the Foundation’s only program: Rotary Foundation Fellowships for Advanced Study, the precursor to Ambassadorial Scholarships. Today, the recognition acknowledges individuals who contribute, or who have contributions made in their name, $1,000 to The Rotary Foundation. Learn more about donor recognition. 

Convention facts

Edinburgh, Scotland, hosted the first convention outside North America in June 1921.  

Rotary’s first convention in Asia was held in Tokyo in 1961. Among the record-setting 23,366 paid and unpaid registrants was the emperor of Japan.

The largest convention to date, based on the number of paid registrants, was the Rotary centennial convention, held in Chicago in 2005.  

Read more convention history and learn about the 2012 RI Convention in Bangkok, Thailand, 6-9 May.

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