Who We Are
Who We Are and What We Do
Rotary is an international service organization that started with the vision of one man — Paul Harris. The Chicago attorney formed the Rotary Club of Chicago in 1905, so professionals with diverse backgrounds could exchange ideas and form meaningful, lifelong friendships. The organization has evolved over the years bringing together business and professional leaders in order to provide humanitarian services, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and help build goodwill and peace in the world.
At Rotary, we understand that cultivating a diverse, equitable, and inclusive culture is essential to realizing our vision of a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change. We value diversity and celebrate the contributions of people of all backgrounds, across age, ethnicity, race, color, disability, learning style, religion, faith, socioeconomic status, culture, marital status, languages spoken, sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity as well as differences in ideas, thoughts, values, and beliefs.
Club Purpose Statement
To better lives, locally and globally, one friendship at a time *
*Adopted in 2020. Special thanks to Dick Fulton, Randy Hartshorn, and David Rose for their creative input.
Seven Areas of Focus for Rotary
Promoting peace, encouraging dialogue to foster understanding within and across cultures
Fighting disease, educating and equipping communities to stop the spread of life-threatening or preventable diseases
Providing clean water, building local solutions to bring clean water and sanitation services to more people every day
Saving mothers and children, expanding access to quality care, so mothers and children can live and grow stronger
Supporting education, expanding access to education and empowering educators to inspire more children and adults to learn
Growing local economies, creating opportunities for individuals and communities to thrive financially and socially
Protecting the environment, tackling environmental issues the way they always do: coming up with projects, using their connections to change policy and planning for the future
Testimonials from Club Members.
“Rotary of Signal Hill has introduced me to the joy of volunteering and interacting in a positive way with my community.”
“I love engaging with conscientious people who care about and want to better their community.”
“No other service club has mission that is so well aligned with my personal values of integrity, friendship, and altruism. I was looking for opportunity to give back, but I ended up gaining so much more from the experience.”
