About Rotary - Paul Harris Fellows

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The Rotary Foundation was established in 1917 as an endowment ‘to do good in the world’.

During the recessionary periods of the 1920s and 1930s the fund grew slowly, but when Rotary’s founder Paul Harris died in 1947 Rotarians throughout the world sought to honour his name and vision, and so it was decided to inject real monies and purpose into the Rotary Foundation.

A target of US$2m was set, and within seven months US$1.5m had been raised, with the balance being achieved in the succeeding four years.

Equally, it was decided that there should be a programme within the Foundation to utilise the funds, and so Foundation’s first and most noteworthy programme was created, namely Ambassadorial Scholarships.

From a modest beginning of 18 scholars attending universities in other countries, this programme has grown to a total of some 31,000 scholarships having been awarded in furtherance of the Foundation’s purpose: the advancement of world peace and understanding.

The Paul Harris Fellows programme was established in 1957 to express the Foundation’s appreciation for substantial contributions to what was then its only programme – International Scholarships. Since then, further educational and humanitarian programmes have been added – for example, the 3H (Health, Hunger and Humanity) programme, Ambassadorial and Cultural Scholarships, Group Study Exchanges, and Matching Grants (humanitarian projects supported by two or more matched Rotary clubs in the different countries).

These programmes are made possible only by generous contributions from Rotarians, members of the public and financial institutions around the world. The high point in these contributions to mankind is the PolioPlus programme in which over US$500m has been given by the efforts of Rotarians around the world in an effort to control and then eradicate polio from the face of the earth. Since 1988 Rotary, together with its partner organisations the World Health Organisation, UNICEF, the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and various governments, has seen a reduction of 99% in polio cases around the world. Rotarians look forward to celebrating the global eradication of polio in 2005, our centennial year. In 2002, in India some 125 million children were immunised in one day. As of 5 November 2003, there were 491 cases of polia reported around the world, compared with 1,069 as at the same time in 2002.

Contributions made in the sum of US$1,000 permit the donor or a named individual to become a Paul Harris Fellow and to receive a certificate of recognition, together with a pin and a medallion. That contribution can be said to represent the saving of lives of 3,000 children through immunisation, or the gift of water to several African villages, or the establishment of five field eye hospitals restoring sight to hundreds of people in under-developed countries. Projects financed can vary from fish farming to forestry, from drug abuse prevention to cultural exchanges.

The largest number of Paul Harris Fellows are Rotarians devoted to the purposes of The Rotary Foundation. Many contributions are made in the names of Rotary family members or as a way of paying respect to local, national or world leaders who have demonstrated commitment to the goals and purposes of Rotary in general or The Rotary Foundation in particular.

Application forms for Paul Harris Fellow recognition are available to download from the RIBI website (www.rotary-ribi.org) or from:

Rotary International in Great Britain & Ireland

Kinwarton Road

Alcester, Warwickshire

B49 6PB

Tel: 01789 765411

E-mail: jayneb@ribi.org

And should be returned to RIBI at the same address, through your District Treasurer or District Foundation Chairman.

Rotarians who commit to contributing at least US$100 per annum to the Rotary Foundation can become Sustaining Members. When their total giving reaches US$1,000 they can nominate a candidate to receive a Paul Harris Fellowship. Details are available from the RI website, www.rotary.org, or the RIBI Secretariat