What is Rotary?
Rotary is a global network that brings people from business, the professions and community life together for friendship and service. It began in 1905 with four friends meeting in Chicago; today more than 1.1 million Rotarians belong to over 36,000 clubs, and more than 130,000 Rotaractors to over 9,500 Rotaract clubs.
Service Above Self
From 1905 to today
- 1905
Lawyer Paul P. Harris founded the first Rotary club in Chicago with his friends Gustavus Loehr, Silvester Schiele and Hiram Shorey. Meetings rotated between members' offices, which gave Rotary its name.
- 1917
The Rotary Foundation was set up to fund service projects worldwide. It has since supported projects worth more than 6.5 billion dollars.
- 1932
Herbert J. Taylor wrote the Four-Way Test that Rotarians still use today.
- 1968
The first Rotaract club was founded on 13 March at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
- 1985
The PolioPlus programme began, with the goal of wiping polio off the map.
- 1987
The Rotaract Club of Mersin was founded on 1 January and received its charter from Rotary International the following year.
- 2019
The Council on Legislation made Rotaract a membership type of Rotary International; from 2020 the upper age limit was removed as well.
- 2026
The 2026–27 theme of RI President Yinka Babalola: Create Lasting Impact.
The Four-Way Test
The ethical guide the Rotary family uses in business and everyday life (1932).
Of the things we think, say or do:
- 1Is it the truth?
- 2Is it fair to all concerned?
- 3Will it build goodwill and better friendships?
- 4Will it be beneficial to all concerned?
7 areas of focus
Rotary's service projects fall into seven areas. Next to each one are our club's projects in that area.
- 1Peace5 projects
- 2Fighting disease43 projects
- 3Water & hygiene12 projects
- 4Maternal & child health10 projects
- 5Education54 projects
- 6Economic developmentNo projects in the archive yet
- 7Environment14 projects
The Rotary family
- RotaryBusiness and community leaders
Clubs run projects for lasting change in their communities and sponsor Rotaract and Interact clubs.
- Rotaract18 and over
Clubs where young people come together for service, leadership and friendship. The Rotaract Club of Mersin is part of this family.
- InteractAges 12–18
School and community based youth clubs. Rotaract clubs can co-sponsor them, and our club has an Interact committee.
Turkey and District 2430
In Rotary, clubs belong to districts and districts to zones; each district is led by a District Governor. The Rotary year starts on 1 July and ends on 30 June.
Turkey has three Rotary districts: 2420 for Istanbul and the Marmara region, 2440 in the Aegean, and 2430 for Central, Eastern and Southern Anatolia. All of Mersin is in District 2430, and the city has five Rotaract clubs.
End polio
Since 1985, PolioPlus has cut polio cases worldwide by 99.9 percent. Every year on 24 October, World Polio Day, the Rotary family runs awareness and fundraising events.
Our club takes part every year with stands, runs and campaigns.
Our polio awareness stand at Forum Mersin in 2019
Figures are Rotary International data from July 2025.