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The Four Avenues of Service

Since 1927, The program of Rotary has been carried out on four Avenues of Service (originally called channels).  These avenues - club service, vocational service, community service, and international service - closely mirror the four parts of the Object of Rotary

CLUB SERVICE Club Service includes the scope of activities that Rotarians undertake in support of their club, such as serving on committees, proposing individuals for membership, and meeting attendance requirements.

VOCATIONAL SERVICE Vocational Service focuses on the opportunity that Rotarians have to represent their professions as well as their efforts to promote vocational awareness and high ethical standards in business.  For decades, Rotarians having been applying the "4-Way Test" to their business and personal relationships and in recent years, a "Declaration of Rotarians in Business and Professions" has given expression to their concern for ethical standards in the workplace.  From offering career guidance in high schools, to seeking ways to improve conditions in the workplace, Rotarians and their clubs engage in many different kinds of vocational service.

COMMUNITY SERVICE Community Service includes the scope of activities which Rotarians undertake to improve the quality of life in their community.  Many official Rotary programs are intended to meet community needs, whether it be to promote literacy, help the elderly or disabled, combat urban violence or provide opportunities for local youth.

INTERNATIONAL SERVICE International Service describes the activities which Rotarians undertake to advance international understanding, goodwill and peace.  The spread of Rotary clubs across the globe allows for the concerted Rotary support of humanitarian efforts worldwide.

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Paul P. Harris 1868-1947

Paul P. Harris, a lawyer, was the founder of Rotary, the world's first and most international service club. Born in Racine, Wisconsin, U.S.A. on 19 April 1868, Paul was the second of six children to George N. Harris and Cornelia Bryan Harris.  At age three he moved to Wallingford, Vermont where he grew up in the care of his paternal grandparents.  Married to Jean Thompson Harris (1881-1963), they had no children.  He received an LLB from the University of Iowa and received an honorary LL.D. from the University of Vermont. Paul Harris worked as a newspaper reporter, a business teacher, stock company actor, cowboy, and traveled extensively in the U.S.A. and Europe selling marble and granite.  In 1896, he went to Chicago to practice law.  One evening, Paul visited the suburban home of a professional friend.  After dinner, as they strolled through the neighborhood, Paul's friend introduced him to various tradesmen in their stores.  It was here that Paul conceived the idea of a club that could recapture some of the friendly spirit among businessmen in small communities. On 23 February, 1905, Paul Harris formed the first club with three other businessmen: Silvester Schiele, a coal merchant; Gustavus Loehr, a mining engineer; and Hiram Shorey, a merchant tailor.  Paul Harris named the new club "Rotary" because members met in rotation at their various places of business.  Club membership grew rapidly.  Soon Paul became convinced that the Rotary club could be developed into an important service movement and strove to extend Rotary to other cities.  Paul was also prominent in other civic and professional work.  He served as the first chairman of the board of the National Easter Seal Society of Crippled Children and Adults in the U.S.A. and of the International Society for Crippled Children.  He was a member of the board of managers of the Chicago Bar Association and its representative at the International Congress of Law at the Hague, and a committee member of the American Bar Association.  He received the Silver Buffalo Award from the Boy Scouts of America for distinguished service to youth, and was decorated by the governments of Brazil, Chile, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, France and Peru. Paul maintained his law office for most of his life.  He spent much time traveling and was invited to speak to Rotarians at annual conventions, district and regional meetings, and other functions.  When President emeritus Paul Harris passed away on 27 January 1947 his dream had grown from an informal meeting of four to some 6,000 clubs.  In the past five decades, the organization had grown to more than 28,000 clubs with 1.2 million members brought together through Paul Harris' vision of service and fellowship.

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