A father’s example connects with Rotary ideals today

By Jay Pennie

The following is my address to the members of the Rotary Club of Philadelphia yesterday at the Pyramid Club of Philadelphia:

Welcome everyone. I’m honored to serve as your club President. 

I thought I would share a few things about me that you may not know as well as my thoughts and aspirations about the upcoming year. 

I grew up in a working-class neighborhood in Philadelphia, the youngest of six children. By any measure, my family was poor and in fact my parents did not own a house, car, or very many possessions. For a time, six children and two adults lived in one small row house with three bedrooms and one tiny bathroom. Do the math. However, my parents provided everything a child really needs— food, shelter, fun, discipline, and of course, love. 

After working in the literally deafening and backbreaking printing industry for almost 40 years, my father later in life was forced to accept a lower paying, but physically less demanding job at Temple University doing what would today be considered menial work—tracking and caring for the University’s athletic equipment. The pay was less, but at least his aging body could handle the physical workload. 

However, that menial job afforded me, his youngest, free tuition at Temple University for three of my four years, the opportunity to earn my undergraduate degree, and be the first in my family to attend college. It was always clear that my parents could not afford to pay for college tuition. They would never think of borrowing money and they never even had a credit card. So his employee benefit was a lucky break for me. Reflecting back many years later after both my parents passed away, I realize that I have my mother’s temperament (usually calm, sometime not) and my father’s stubbornness. 

Among the attributes that my father possessed, and which had a profound impact on me, was his strong work ethic and sense of volunteerism. Though he worked tirelessly every day for more than 45 years (he never called in sick), he actively helped my mother raise a family of six from changing diapers to washing dishes. Yet he still found the time and energy to volunteer for our church three times a week and regularly helped feed the homeless at a mission house not far from here. 

Until my early thirties, my motto was more the reverse of Rotary’s—“Self before service.” I prioritized money, career, and enjoyment as number one. But, at a later point, I felt something was missing in my life. I remember one particular day my boss called and offered me a big promotion. I thanked him for the opportunity but I declined the offer. He knew from my voice that something was troubling me. I told him that there has to be more to a career than making lots of money and selling things to people that they don’t really need. That is the point at which I decided to leave the for profit business sector for the nonprofit world. I’m most happy with helping organizations do a better job of helping others. Now, after working in several organizations in that sector for almost 20 years, I started my own consulting business this past February which is dedicated to serving the needs of the nonprofit community.  

My first introduction to Rotary came from one of our former members, Lynmar Brock, who I miss dearly. I think Lynmar is a bit of a legend in the Rotary world. At least that is my impression. He is one of the most gregarious and wonderful people in the world. I knew him through a previous business arrangement. He attended a community outreach event that I was leading, which was one of the first Day of Painting events at the art school where I was working at the time. After the event, he explained a bit about Rotary and invited me to attend one of the club meetings as his guest. After a few weeks attending as his guest, he asked me to join the club. Lynmar is a great salesman and is hard to say no to. So, I joined the club in August 2010. 

What impressed me most about that first lunch meeting still stands today. The Rotary Club of Philadelphia members were smart, accomplished, generous, and friendly. One member, Sandy Goldberg, asked me right away to join her on the fundraising committee and I said, sure, why not. It was the best thing for me because it helped me get to know the members and got me involved.  

There are a few lessons that you can take from my experience pertaining to membership. One, a member asked me to join him as his guest first and then join the club. Two, the members were very friendly toward me. Three, someone reached out to me immediately and somehow engaged me in the club activities. A year or so later, I chaired the Fundraising Committee and together we raised funds over four years to inoculate 11,000 from receiving the debilitating and sometimes deadly disease, Polio. And here I am nine years later as President. 

In addition to volunteering for Rotary, I serve as a Panelist and Grant Reviewer for the Philadelphia Cultural Fund which distributes $2.7 million annually to arts and cultural organizations. I also volunteer for the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts and serve as a Visiting Evaluator for the National Association of Schools of Art and Design, the nation’s leading art and design accreditor. So, I try to keep myself busy.   

The theme for the New Year is: “Rotary Connects the World.” For me, the following summarizes this year’s theme best: The Rotary Club of Philadelphia is united with 1.2 million members, 35,000 clubs, and 16 million volunteers in 200 countries. Our club has been taking action locally and globally for more than 100 years through community service and granting $30,000 annually to worthy local and international causes. 

But, the challenges are great right here in our own community.  I’ll mention just one. Philadelphia has the highest poverty rate of any large city in the U.S. at 26% compared with the national average of 16% or over 400,000 residents.  The poverty rate is considered at $19K household income with one adult and two children. Poverty is linked to many other problems: unequal access to quality education, increased homelessness, poor diet, inadequate healthcare, hunger, neighborhood violence, mass incarceration to name a few. 

At the same time, Philadelphia has tremendous wealth concentrated in areas such as Center City Philadelphia and the suburban Main Line areas. These local issues create a tremendous need in which the Rotary Club of Philadelphia can continue to help and perhaps help more. We could use 100 Rotary Clubs right here in this area to just put a dent into the problem.  

We also have a few challenges in our own club that we need to resolve. The board of directors recently surveyed the membership to obtain a candid opinion on the club’s strengths, weakness, opportunities, and threats. Healthy organizations do this on a regular basis. This process gave us a great view of where we are from the perspective of the membership. Our strengths and opportunities are many. But, we also have to evaluate our weaknesses and potential threats to better plan for the future and position ourselves to maximize our impact into the community. We need to plan farther out than just next year. We need to think both tactically and strategically. 

My leadership philosophy is twofold: 1) It does not matter what I think. It matters what YOU, the members think because I serve at the pleasure of the membership. 2) I’m a uniter, not a divider.

 I will make mistakes and I’m sure someone will inform me and hopefully guide me along the way. We have a lot to do. But, I am only one person. I am blessed with a tremendous board of directors and committee chairs that I know will make good things happen this year. All of our members should be serving on at least one committee. We will have a club assembly in the coming weeks so that we can hear from each of the committees about the plans for the year. But we all have to work together as Rotarians and pitch in and help the club for the good of our community. They need us. 

Rotary International wants each club President every year to develop goals for the year such as how many new members, how many service projects, which I will do, with the help of the board and committee chairs and after completing the strategic plan. 

But my one overall goal as club President is the same one that I have had in every organization that I have been a part of. When I come to the end of my term this time next year, I want to have made our club stronger and a better organization than when I began. With your help, I know we can achieve that goal. 

I will leave you with a quote that resonates with me from Rotary’s founder, Paul Harris: “Whatever Rotary may mean to us, to the world it will be known by the results it achieves.” Let’s work together to achieve some results through our actions. 

Thank you all for your continued service and your confidence in me as club President.    

Jay Pennie
President, 2019-2020
Rotary Club of Philadelphia    

Son makes $20,000 gift to honor his father, a long-term member of the Rotary Club of Philadelphia

By Jay Pennie

The kindness of Rotarians and their families around the world never ceases to amaze me. 

At this past Thursday’s meeting of the Rotary Club of Philadelphia, held at the Pyramid Club in Center City Philadelphia, I thought the most significant event to take place that day was the induction of new officers and directors for the upcoming 2019-2020 year. Or perhaps it was hearing from our speaker and former club member, Frank Hoffman, PhD. about his teaching assignment in Thailand and adventures as a new member of the Rotary Club of Bangkok. Both were noteworthy events. 

However, when I arrived early to greet members and guests, I saw a man who I did not recognize. I approached him and we exchanged introductions. He said his name is Wayne Hughes and that his father, Eugene Hughes, passed away recently and had been a long-time member of the Rotary Club of Philadelphia. Wayne was attending the meeting that day to present a check to the club’s foundation to honor his father. I enthusiastically thanked him for the kind gesture, though I thought it was impolite to ask the amount of the donation.  I invited him to stay for lunch and he accepted.  

A few minutes later, as I introduced him to the first member arriving, he indicated that the check was for $20,000! Pleasantly stunned for a few minutes, I asked him if he would say a few words to the members about the donation and his father. 

The Rotary Foundation of Philadelphia was founded by and continues to be supported by Rotarians’ and their families. Established many years ago by generous and visionary members, the foundation grants approximately $30,000 each year to organizations in need both locally and internationally to support education, promote peace, fight disease, provide clean water and sanitation, save the lives of mothers and children, and improve local communities.

What separates the Rotary Foundation of Philadelphia from numerous other charitable foundations? Mainly, members use their knowledge of local issues to identify areas of need and together work to improve that community through hands-on service projects that includes feeding the hungry, promoting literacy in schools, cleaning up and beautifying the environment, and honoring veterans. The foundation uses this same knowledge of the community and its connections to help identify needs and provide financial support to organizations through its grant program.  

A heart-felt thank you goes out to Mr. Hughes and Rotarians worldwide for their kindness and generosity to help others in need. I am proud to be united with 1.2 million members and 16 million volunteers in 200 countries to create lasting change in our community and in ourselves.  

Find out how you can become a member of the Rotary Club of Philadelphia or make a donation to the Philadelphia Rotary Foundation.

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Jay Pennie, a member and President-Elect of the Rotary Club of Philadelphia, is a management consultant dedicated to helping nonprofit arts, education, and cultural organizations achieve their full potential. jpennieconsulting.com 

Originally posted on LinkedIn June 25, 2019.

Rotary Foundation of Philadelphia Highlights 2018-2019

By Joseph P. Batory

“The Little Engine That Could” is an American fairy tale.

For almost one hundred years, children have been thrilled by this story of this heroic little engine that is faced with the formidable task of pulling a large load of train cars over a mountain. “The Little Engine That Could” challenges himself with the phrase “I think I can…I think I can.” And then, “The Little Engine That Could” does the impossible…he successfully pulls the huge load of train cars over the mountain.

Well, there is indeed a parallel here with the Rotary Club of Philadelphia because we are truly “The Little Engine That Can and Does!” And specifically, it is our own club foundation that has created a signature, a signature that defines our extensive caring and outreach into our community and beyond.

 We have indeed become “The Little Engine That Can and Does.”

And here are just a few highlights of what “Our Little Philadelphia Rotary Engine” has done just in this year alone:

• Think of a Village in Kenya where there was no clean water anywhere. That village now has a newly drilled well providing clean water to its residents…and our Rotary club paid for it.

• Think of the Gituri School for girls in Kenya with little to no sanitation in the bathroom facilities. This has been remedied…and the Rotary Club of Philadelphia paid for it.

• Think of what it must be like to be poor at Thanksgiving. St. Christopher’s Hospital here in Philadelphia runs an annual project to provide free Thanksgiving dinners for hundreds of families…And this year, the Rotary Club of Philadelphia paid for it.

• Think of the amazing Broad Street Ministry which feeds the homeless every day. A dinner for 500 needy people in our city has been paid for the Rotary Club of Philadelphia.

• Think of the Ronald McDonald House and how it provides food housing for families while their loved ones are undergoing medical procedures in city hospitals. The Rotary Club of Philadelphia has financially supported that effort.

• Think of Philadelphia’s Beat The Streets program which motivates and encourages inner city youth through wrestling and academic support. The Rotary Club of Philadelphia has financially supported that organization.

• Think of the Summer Search Philadelphia program which encourages and motivates inner city youth to pursue college and vocational education……the Rotary Club of Philadelphia has financially supported that organization.

• Think of Musicopia, the amazing organization that restores and rebuilds music in our city schools…the Rotary Club of Philadelphia is a funder for that organization.

• Think of Philadelphia Reads, an organization determined to improve literacy in our city…the Rotary Club of Philadelphia has collected books and given financial support for the early childhood iniatives of this organization.

• Think of a Philadelphia child with cerebral palsy whose family could not afford the necessary adaptive stroller. The Rotary Club of Philadelphia purchased the adaptive stroller for that child.

• Think of persons with cleft palate or suffering from serious burns. The Rotary Club of Philadelphia has financed three Rotaplast surgical operations for the upcoming project in India.

• Think of persons with intellectual, physical and medical needs.  The Rotary Club of Philadelphia is a financial supported of Community Integrated Services which helps such people to gain employment and become productive citizens.

• And finally, think of our Veterans Centers which serve the many needs of those who have returned home after serving out country.  The Rotary Club of Philadelphia has a financial supporter of two of these Veterans Centers this year.

There are even more foundation grant awards during 2018-2019 which I could describe……but I think by now, you get the idea.  20 different organizations received grants totaling $32,000.00+ just in 2018-2019.

The Rotary Club of Philadelphia is truly “The Little Engine that Cares and Does.” Our outreach to our community and beyond defines what Rotary is all about…and the Rotary Club of Philadelphia continues to stand out as a leader in humanitarian endeavors and initiatives.

We are indeed: “The Little Engine That Cares and Does!”

Philadelphia Rotary Celebrates Its Grant Awards for 2017-2018

The Rotary Club of Philadelphia, the “Little Engine That Makes Good Things Happen,” will celebrate its 2017-2018 grant awards given to 12 different organizations at its luncheon meeting on June 7 at The Philadelphia Racquet Club (noon-1:30 PM, 215 S. 16 Street). The Rotary Club of Philadelphia is one of 35,000 Rotary Clubs worldwide making good things happen in their communities and beyond. The Rotary Club of Philadelphia is the 19th oldest Rotary Club in the world and distributes about $30,000.00 annually to worthy and needy causes. Additionally, Philadelphia Rotary members have been involved with volunteer “service projects” at Habitat for Humanity, the Salvation Army, Manna, Bartram Gardens, the Wyck Estate and the Waring School Library among others this year. Each of the grant recipients will be at the June 7 luncheon to acknowledge their awards. These include:

• Tree House Books ($2500.00) A Giving Library and Literacy Center located in North Philadelphia on a mission to grow and sustain a community of readers, writers, and thinkers.

• Musicopia ($2000.00) An amazing non-profit which has provided over 2,000 music programs to numerous schools in Philadelphia, giving more than 15,000 students the opportunity to learn about live music,

• Ethiopian Rheumatology Project ($5000.00) To increase access to rheumatology care in Ethiopia because treatment for diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus, gout, osteoarthritis, etc. is limited. Consequently, there is an increase in disability and even mortality from these diseases.

• Rotaplast ($3,000.00) To support the upcoming mission trip to Liberia and fund this life altering surgery (cleft palate) for three children.

• Beat the Streets Philadelphia ($3,000.00) A nonprofit that implements athletic and mentoring programs as a vehicle to ‘Positively Alter Life’s Trajectory’ for Philadelphia’s under-served youth. Beat the Streets uses after school wrestling and mentoring to engage boys and girls and keep them off the streets.

• Philadelphia Rotaract Club ($1,000,00) An award-winning community service club affiliated with the Rotary Club of Philadelphia and located at the University of Pennsylvania

• Waring Public School ($3,000.00) To purchase books for take-home reading aligned with the 100 Book Challenge. The 100 Book Challenge incorporates several researched based best practices in literacy and learning to create a highly effective reading program.

• LaSalle Academy Educational Grant ($500.00) For a graduating eighth grader from this school for future educational expenses. LaSalle Academy, in lower Kensington, serves a population of students whose families have an annual income under $18,500.00). The school has a student Early Act Club affiliated with the Rotary Club of Philadelphia.

• West Catholic Prep Scholarship ($1000.00) For a graduating senior to help offset university expenses. West Catholic has a student Interact (service) club affiliated with the Rotary Club of Philadelphia.

• Tree Planting Project ($1,000.00) To support an exciting partnership with the world renowned Pennsylvania Horticultural Society to plant trees on the Schuylkill River West Trail in King of Prussia, PA on Earth Day April 22, 2018.

• Peace Day Philly ($1200.00) To support the many community activities coordinated by this Philadelphia Non-Profit aimed at violence prevention and peace building.

• Philly Reads ($5000.00) To support the outreach of this highly-effective non-profit in providing quality literacy programs for Philadelphia children.

Women have come a long way in the Rotary world

By Joseph P. Batory

It was an “earth-shaking” moment in the Rotary world. In 1978, the Rotary Club of Duarte (California) dared to admit women as members in violation of the Rotary International Constitution. As a result, the Rotary Club of Duarte was almost immediately terminated by Rotary International (March, 1978).

It then became a battle for gender-based equality to prevail. The California courts went back and forth for several years regarding a lawsuit by the Rotary Club of Duarte against Rotary International. But finally, the United States Supreme Court in 1987 ruled that Rotary clubs could not exclude women.

Things happened fast after that. By 1990, there were more than 20,000 female Rotary members. And currently there are more than 200,000 women Rotary members internationally.

“We really waited far too long to wait to achieve a Rotary that reflects the world in which we live,” said Rotary International’s incoming 2017-2018 president Iain Risely from Australia.

There are 539 Rotary Districts in 200 countries that oversee the 34,000 local Rotary clubs, including Rotary District 7450 (the 50+ clubs in Greater Philadelphia including those Rotary clubs in Delaware County). And Risely noted that 103 of the 539 incoming Rotary Governors internationally for 2017-2018 are “women leaders who will help Rotary connect with, and represent, and better serve, all of the members of all our communities.”

One of those new Rotary women leaders is here in Rotary District 7450 (Greater Philadelphia). Dawn deFuria from the Greater West Chester Sunrise Club. For the 2017-2018 year, she will become the fourth female to be the governor of our area’s Rotary District 7450. The other Rotary female leaders from District 7450 have been Bonnie Korengel (Longwood Rotary 2011-2012), Joan Batory (Philadelphia Rotary, 2010-2011) and Sandra Costanzo (Langhorne Rotary, 1999- 2000).

Meanwhile, there are several female Rotarians who have reached the highest levels of Rotary International as officers. So how long before we see a woman president of Rotary International?

“I believe we’ll see a female Rotary International president within the next five years,” said Jennifer Jones, one of the four Rotary International current directors. “And this will happen because that woman is qualified and not because she is a woman. We now have a critical mass of women in Rotary who have served or currently serving with distinction as directors and one of them is going to achieve that post!”

Paul Harris, who founded Rotary way back in 1905, offered these prophetic words. “This is a changing world; we must be prepared to change with it. The story of Rotary will have to be written again and again!”

It took a while to write this change to occur and it wasn’t easy… but here in 2017 Rotarians around the world are celebrating 30 years of “Women in Rotary.”

Rotary is currently one of the top humanitarian organizations in the world. Its more than one million members volunteer their expertise, compassion and power to improve communities at home and abroad in more than 200 countries and geographical areas.

Rotary members have contributed more than $1.2 billion and countless volunteer hours to help immunize more than two billion children with polio vaccine in 122 countries. The disease is now 99 percent eliminated.

Maternal and child health, clean water and sanitation, disease prevention and treatment and conflict resolution and peace building are Rotary’s other top areas of focus.

Joseph Batory is the author of three books and has been widely published on politics and education. Joe is currently is a member of the Rotary Club of Philadelphia.

Originally published on April 18, 2017 in The Delaware County Daily Times, the daily newspaper of Delaware County, PA., covering local, regional, and national news.  

The Rotary Foundation is Celebrating 100 Years of Humanitarian Outreach

By Joseph P. Batory

Ceremonies all over the world are being held to recognize the 100th anniversary of the Rotary International Foundation during 2016–2017. And one of those commemorations is about to occur here in our area. A gala “Million Dollar Journey Celebration Dinner” will be held on Wednesday, Dec. 7, at the Springfield Country Club (5:30–9 p.m., 400 W. Sproul Road, Springfield, PA 19064). Rotary International John Germ, the leader of 1.2 million Rotary members in 200 countries, will be the guest of honor. 

As a remarkable enhancement for the Dec. 7 centennial celebration, a local Rotarian donor has recently made a $1 million bequest gift to the Rotary International Foundation. This gift involves a challenge to area Rotary members to match this contribution through individual legacies. The Million Dollar Celebration Dinner will commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Rotary International Foundation and also be focused on the success of this matching challenge. 

From a humble initial contribution of $26.50 in 1917, individual donations of many of hundreds of thousands of individual Rotary members worldwide have built the Rotary International Foundation into one of the largest ($1 billion) and most reputable foundations in the world. 

Over the past 100 years, the Rotary International Foundation has been the humanitarian engine for Rotary, distributing hundreds of millions of dollars to support thousands of projects in multiple countries, including the USA, to provide clean water, fight disease, promote peace, provide basic education and grow local economies. 

The Rotary International Foundation has also been the leader in the battle to eradicate polio internationally, which is now more than 99 percent accomplished. Since 1979, Rotary has been involved with the immunization of 2.5 billion children in 122 countries. 

Promoting world peace is also a priority for the Rotary International Foundation. Each year, Rotary selects up to 100 individuals from around the world to receive fully-funded academic fellowships at one of its peace centers. In just over a decade, the Rotary Peace Centers have trained more than 900 fellows for careers in peace building and violence prevention. Many of them have gone on to serve as leaders in government, the military, law enforcement, and international organizations like the United Nations and Word Bank. 

Additionally, for experienced professionals working in peace-related fields who want to enhance their professional skills, Rotary International Foundation also sponsors 50 fully funded three-month programs in peace and conflict prevention and resolution each year at Chulalongkorn University in Thailand. This program enhances the skill and knowledge base of participants for use when they return to their jobs. Two Philadelphia police officers and a Philadelphia district attorney have recently benefited from these fellowships. 

In addition to the humanitarian impacts of Rotary International Foundation, there are thousands of service activities by 35,000 Rotary clubs in their communities each year. Rotary has been and continues to be a constant force in doing good things to help people in need and create a better world. 

Here in the Greater Philadelphia area (Rotary District 7450 which covers Philadelphia and many of its adjacent suburbs), there are 50-plus Rotary clubs, all doing projects and contributing to the needs of their community. 

Happy 100th Anniversary to the Rotary International Foundation and the hundreds of thousands of Rotary members worldwide who support its efforts. 

Joseph Batory, a current member of the Rotary Club of Philadelphia, has been a Rotary member for more than 30 years, including 13 years in the Upper Darby Rotary.   

Originally published on November 30, 2016 in The Delaware County Daily Times, the daily newspaper of Delaware County, PA., covering local, regional, and national news.          

Rotary's mission: Eradicate polio

By Joseph P. Batory

Today, it is hard to imagine that a polio epidemic was occurring here in the USA and around the world during the latter half of the 20th century. How bad was it? Well, even as late as the 1980s, there were 1,000 new cases of this crippling disease every day, internationally.

And so in 1985, Rotary International, one of the world’s premier humanitarian organizations with more than 1.2 million members in 34,000 local Rotary clubs in 200 countries did the unimaginable. Rotary declared war on polio.

Rotary International has been and continues to be the leading private sector organization involved in the fight. Over the past 20+ years, local Rotary members here in the USA and abroad have contributed $1.2 billion for polio vaccine and other necessary eradication resources.

In 1988, Rotary International and its partners, the World Health Organization, UNICEF and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, forged the global polio eradication initiative to eradicate polio as a global imperative. Additionally, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and many governments including the United States have generously provided hundreds of millions of dollars of support for this effort.

When Rotary International and its partners launched the polio eradication effort in the late 1980s, 125 countries were polio endemic. Today, only three countries — Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria — are polio endemic. Most recently, in January 2014, India marked three years since its last case of wild polio, a landmark achievement for this global public health and the worldwide effort to eradicate polio in this huge heavily populated nation.

Polio eradication has a four-pronged strategy: national immunization days, routine immunization, mop-up of cases and disease surveillance. Rotary International’s members have been involved in all four phases and have consistently fueled the effort with resources, advocacy and genuine volunteer work on the ground.

More than one million Rotary members have donated their time and personal resources to end polio. Every year, hundreds of Rotary members work side-by-side with health workers to vaccinate children in polio-affected countries. Rotarians work with partners like UNICEF to prepare and distribute mass communication tools to share the message with those isolated by conflict, geography or poverty. Rotary members also recruit fellow volunteers, assist with transporting the vaccine, and provide other logistical support.

The job is almost finished. The number of cases of polio is down by 99 percent. However, polio knows no borders and carriers frequently move from one country to another. The virus can therefore reappear in previously polio-free countries. That is why Rotary International and its partners have been relentless in this fight. If polio isn’t eradicated, the world will continue to live under the threat of the disease and more than 10 million children could be paralyzed in the next 40 years if this effort is not followed to completion.

Rotary’s program to eradicate polio, called PolioPlus, has been Rotary International’s primary effort for over 20 years and has been described as the finest humanitarian project by a nongovernmental organization the world has ever known. Rotary has even been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for its efforts.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has offered this summary of Rotary’s PolioPlus effort: “Rotary has accomplished so much in the face of extraordinary challenges. It has met financial goals, and overcome conflict and lack of security in many countries, and conquered cultural barriers. ... When the final chapter on polio eradication is finally written, it will tell of one of the most spectacular success stories ever in public health and highlight Rotary’s remarkable service to humanity.”

Joseph Batory is the former superintendent of schools in the Upper Darby School District and a current member of the Rotary Club of Philadelphia. There are 53 Rotary clubs in the Greater Philadelphia area alone and 13 local Rotary clubs in Delaware County.

Originally published on April 28, 2015 in The Delaware County Daily Times, the daily newspaper of Delaware County, PA., covering local, regional, and national news.  

Rotary: Good People Doing Good Things For People In Need

By Joseph P. Batory

In spite of the fact that Rotary is one of the top humanitarian organizations in the world, many people are not familiar with what Rotary is and does. And so, as a 30+ year member of Rotary, I am hoping to shed just a bit of light on the organization.

Rotary's 1.2 million members start with a commitment to Service Above Self, something Rotarians have now been practicing since the organization began 108 years ago. In Rotary’s 34,000 clubs in 200 countries worldwide, you will find its volunteer members developing projects that address many of today's most critical issues, such as children at risk, disabled persons, health care, international understanding and goodwill, literacy and numeracy, population issues, poverty and hunger, the environment, clean water, and Polio eradication. They also support programs for youth, educational opportunities and international exchanges for students, teachers, and other professionals, and vocational and career development.

In the Greater Philadelphia area, there are 50 Rotary clubs located in different communities in and around Philadelphia which annually produce hundreds of unique projects to support and enhance their local communities and improve the quality of life for all of us.

Rotary club membership represents a cross-section of the community's business and professional men and women, as well as community leaders. The world's Rotary clubs meet weekly and are nonpolitical, nonreligious, and open to all cultures, races, and creeds.

In terms of accomplishments, as recently as 1985, more than 1,000 persons were being victimized by polio each day internationally. Since that time, Rotary has expended millions of dollars worldwide to immunize two billion children. Polio is now 99% eliminated worldwide. In addition to the funding, Rotary has provided an army of volunteers to promote and assist at national immunization days in polio-endemic countries around the world.

Indeed, the World Health Organization, UNICEF and the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention have become Rotary partners and have urged Rotary to finish this job in the two remaining countries (Pakistan and Afghanistan) where polio is still active. And Bill Gates has also joined this battle with more than $300 million of his own money given to this Rotary cause. The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International is a not-for-profit corporation that promotes world understanding through international humanitarian service programs and educational and cultural exchanges. It is supported solely by voluntary contributions from Rotarians and others who share its vision of a better world. Since 1947, the Foundation has awarded more than $1.1 billion in humanitarian and educational grants, which are initiated and administered by local Rotary clubs and Rotary districts.

During and after World War II, Rotarians became increasingly involved in promoting international understanding. In 1945, 49 Rotary members served in 29 delegations to develop the United Nations Charter. Rotary still actively participates in UN conferences by sending observers to major meetings and promoting the United Nations in Rotary publications. Rotary International's relationship with the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) dates back to a 1943 when it began its participation in the establishment of UNESCO which occurred in 1946.

Rotary long ago embraced a simple but powerful code of ethics, called the 4-Way Test which has been translated into hundreds of languages. From the earliest days of the organization, Rotarians were concerned with promoting high ethical standards in their professional lives. It has now become one of the world's most widely printed and quoted statements of business ethics:

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?

In summary, Rotary is a worldwide network of caring individuals who translate their passions into relevant social causes to change lives for the better. Rotary is all about responding to a world filled with too much suffering, violence and despair. Rotary is “good people doing good things for people in need.”