Sunrise Rotary Club of Watertown
“Whatever Rotary may mean to us, to the world it will be known by the results it achieves.”
—Paul P. Harris
This 1.2 million-member organization started with the vision of one man—Paul P. Harris. The Chicago attorney formed one of the world’s first service organizations, the Rotary Club of Chicago, on 23 February 1905 as a place where professionals with diverse backgrounds could exchange ideas and form meaningful, lifelong friendships. Rotary’s name came from the group’s early practice of rotating meetings among the offices of each member.
Rotarians have not only been present for major events in history—they’ve been a part of them. From the beginning, three key traits have remained strong throughout Rotary:
They’re truly international. Only 16 years after being founded, Rotary had clubs on six continents. Today they’re working together from around the globe both digitally and in-person to solve some of our world’s most challenging problems.
They persevere in tough times. During WWII, Rotary clubs in Germany, Austria, Italy, Spain, and Japan were forced to disband. Despite the risks, many continued to meet informally and following the war’s end, Rotary members joined together to rebuild their clubs and their countries.
The commitment to service is ongoing. They began their fight against polio in 1979 with a project to immunize 6 million children in the Philippines. By 2012, only three countries remain polio-endemic—down from 125 in 1988.
Impact
The Watertown Sunrise Rotary Club Scholarship is awarded to a second year full-time student. Preference is given to those who demonstrate an understanding of the Rotary principles as they apply to the individual, have a history of school and/or community service and have financial need. Applicants must submit an essay of 300 words or more, describing a situation that has occurred in their life where they feel the Rotary principles were applied. These include: 1. Is it the truth? 2. Is it fair to all concerned? 3. Will it build goodwill and better friendships? 4. Will it be beneficial to all concerned? The essay should include information that would demonstrate the applicant’s involvement in their school and/or community.