Ojai
California
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Rotary Club Of Ojai
About Us
Chicago lawyer Paul Harris founded Rotary, the world's first service club, in 1905. He and three friends wanted to rekindle in that turn-of-the-century city the spirit of friendliness and good business ethics they had known in their hometowns. Word of the club soon spread and others ere invited to join. They named their new club "Rotary" to describe the practice of meeting in rotation at the members' various places of businesses.
Originally formed for fellowship, the first Rotary club quickly evolved to use the talents and resources of members to serve the community. Within the next few years other Rotary clubs were formed in the United States, and then internationally. Today, more than 29,300 Rotary clubs exist in 160 countries with over 1.2 million members around the world.
One of Rotary's goals is to provide service to the local community. Donations are made to deserving organizations; scholarships are provided to local students and teachers; projects are undertaken such as the Libby Park rest rooms or the Dennison Grade overlook; vocational information is provided for high school students; and organizations for you are supported, such as the Interact club sponsored by our sister club, "Ojai-West" rotary.
In addition to serving the local community, Rotary actively promotes world peace, understanding, and good will internationally. Proceeds donated in memory of Rotary's founder, Paul Harris, fund the Rotary Foundation, which annually provides more than $27 million in scholarship aid to 1,200 students who study abroad and, while doing so, learn about the cultures and customs of another nation.
Also, exchanges are organized that permit non-Rotarians businessmen and women to travel and live for a month or more with Rotarians in another country. Several years ago, an exchange group of five men and women from India spent four days in Ojai on their tour visiting schools and businesses similar to their own.
In 1985 Rotary announced PolioPlus, a program to eliminate polio in the world by 2005. While in India, Hoj observed some of the 100 million children who were vaccinated in one weekend in a massive Rotary-led PolioPlus inoculation program.
Women were first admitted to Rotary in 1987 and this is the fastest growing segment of the membership currently. More than 1,600 presently serve as club presidents. In 1994-95, Lerie Bjornstedt served as Ojai Rotary's first woman president.
Today, Rotary International encourages its clubs to focus on a broad spectrum of service activities such as hunger, the environment, violence prevention, illiteracy, drug-abuse prevention, polio eradication, youth, the elderly, and AIDS awareness and education. It's fitting that Rotary clubs around the world are united under the motto "Service Above Self."
Chicago lawyer Paul Harris founded Rotary, the world's first service club, in 1905. He and three friends wanted to rekindle in that turn-of-the-century city the spirit of friendliness and good business ethics they had known in their hometowns. Word of the club soon spread and others ere invited to join. They named their new club "Rotary" to describe the practice of meeting in rotation at the members' various places of businesses.
Originally formed for fellowship, the first Rotary club quickly evolved to use the talents and resources of members to serve the community. Within the next few years other Rotary clubs were formed in the United States, and then internationally. Today, more than 29,300 Rotary clubs exist in 160 countries with over 1.2 million members around the world.
One of Rotary's goals is to provide service to the local community. Donations are made to deserving organizations; scholarships are provided to local students and teachers; projects are undertaken such as the Libby Park rest rooms or the Dennison Grade overlook; vocational information is provided for high school students; and organizations for you are supported, such as the Interact club sponsored by our sister club, "Ojai-West" rotary.
In addition to serving the local community, Rotary actively promotes world peace, understanding, and good will internationally. Proceeds donated in memory of Rotary's founder, Paul Harris, fund the Rotary Foundation, which annually provides more than $27 million in scholarship aid to 1,200 students who study abroad and, while doing so, learn about the cultures and customs of another nation.
Also, exchanges are organized that permit non-Rotarians businessmen and women to travel and live for a month or more with Rotarians in another country. Several years ago, an exchange group of five men and women from India spent four days in Ojai on their tour visiting schools and businesses similar to their own.
In 1985 Rotary announced PolioPlus, a program to eliminate polio in the world by 2005. While in India, Hoj observed some of the 100 million children who were vaccinated in one weekend in a massive Rotary-led PolioPlus inoculation program.
Women were first admitted to Rotary in 1987 and this is the fastest growing segment of the membership currently. More than 1,600 presently serve as club presidents. In 1994-95, Lerie Bjornstedt served as Ojai Rotary's first woman president.
Today, Rotary International encourages its clubs to focus on a broad spectrum of service activities such as hunger, the environment, violence prevention, illiteracy, drug-abuse prevention, polio eradication, youth, the elderly, and AIDS awareness and education. It's fitting that Rotary clubs around the world are united under the motto "Service Above Self."