PHILIPSBURG:--- Rotary International is a service organization whose stated purpose is to bring together business and professional leaders in order to provide community and humanitarian services, encourage high ethical standards from all its members and vocations, and to help build goodwill and peace in the world. Rotary Clubs are open to all persons regardless of race, color, creed, religion, gender, or political preference. There are 34,282 clubs and over 1.2 million members worldwide and 4 Clubs on St. Maarten/St. Martin. Rotary Club members are known as Rotarians and they usually meet weekly for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, which is a social event as well as an opportunity to organize and plan their community service goals.
Rotary's primary motto is "Service Above Self" and the object of Rotary is to encourage & foster the idea of service as a basis of worthy enterprise and to encourage and foster:
- The development of acquaintance as an opportunity for service;
- High ethical standards in business and professions, the recognition of the worthiness of all useful occupations, and the dignifying of each Rotarian's occupation as an opportunity to serve society;
- The application of the idea of service in each Rotarian's personal, business, and community life;
- The advancement of international understanding, goodwill, and peace through a world fellowship of business and professional persons united in the ideal of service.
The above objectives are the basis of the "Rotary 4-way Test" which is used to determine if a planned action is compatible with the Rotarian spirit. The test was developed by Rotarian Herbert J. Taylor during the Great Depression as a set of guidelines for turning around struggling businesses and was adopted as the standard of ethics by Rotary in 1942. It is still seen as a standard for ethics in business management.
The 4-Way Test asks the following questions in respect to thinking, saying or doing:
- Is it the truth?
- Is it fair to all concerned?
- Will it build goodwill and better friendships?
- Will it be beneficial to all concerned?
Rotary International's most notable current global project, PolioPlus, is contributing to the global eradication of polio. Locally, Rotarians are actively involved in many projects with a primary focus on assisting St. Maarten's youth in terms of literacy, health, and overall education. From providing all 3rd grade students their own dictionary, to hosting the island's Spelling Bee, to food hampers and Christmas Toy drives, to becoming a major supporter of the Catholic School board's After School Program and the University of St. Maarten's new Pre-USM project getting St. Maarten's 65% of graduating students whom are not quite academically qualified to be admitted into college There are also many ongoing projects for our seniors ranging from buying specialized medical equipment for the various homes to heartfelt companionship by joining them for lunches and engaging them in conversation of days gone by, and fieldtrips such as lagoon cruises and senior parties. Rotarians work tirelessly to raise funds for these and other worthy causes. Look out for Rotarians in front of Le Grand Marche' soon selling raffle tickets for luxurious Audi Q-5. All funds raised go back to the community in the form of service projects.
The majority of clubs meet weekly. As a Rotarian you are welcomed by any Rotary club around the world to attend one of their weekly meetings. St. Maarten's first club was chartered in 1972 and since its inception has grown in membership and has assisted in the formation of four new clubs in the district; Anguilla (1978), St. Martin Nord (1988), St. Maarten Mid-Isle (1997) and St. Martin Sunrise (2004). Interested in becoming a Rotarian or learning more about what membership entails? Contact or speak to any Rotarian; or check out The Rotary Club of Sint Maarten's Facebook page or website; www.rotarysxm.org.
