Rotary adopts The Four-Way Test, one of the world’s most widely printed and quoted statements of business ethics. Herbert J. Taylor, a member of the Rotary Club of Chicago, drafted the test in 1932 to help an aluminum company on the verge of bankruptcy during the Great Depression.
Guiding principles
These principles have been developed over the years to provide Rotarians with a strong, common purpose and direction. They serve as a foundation for our relationships with each other and the action we take in the world.
Object of Rotary
The Object of Rotary is to encourage and foster the ideal of service as a basis of worthy enterprise and, in particular, to encourage and foster:
FIRST: The development of acquaintance as an opportunity for service;
SECOND: 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;
THIRD: The application of the ideal of service in each Rotarian’s personal, business, and community life;
FOURTH: The advancement of international understanding, goodwill, and peace through a world fellowship of business and professional persons united in the ideal of service.
The Four-Way Test
The Four-Way Test is a nonpartisan and nonsectarian ethical guide for Rotarians to use for their personal and professional relationships. The test has been translated into more than 100 languages, and Rotarians recite it at club meetings:
Of the things we think, say or do
Is it the TRUTH?
Is it FAIR to all concerned?
Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?
Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?
Avenues of Service
We channel our commitment to service at home and abroad through five Avenues of Service, which are the foundation of club activity.
Club Service focuses on making clubs strong. A thriving club is anchored by strong relationships and an active membership development plan.
Vocational Service calls on every Rotarian to work with integrity and contribute their expertise to the problems and needs of society. Learn more in An Introduction to Vocational Service and the Code of Conduct.
Community Service encourages every Rotarian to find ways to improve the quality of life for people in their communities and to serve the public interest. Learn more in Communities in Action: A Guide to Effective Projects.
International Service exemplifies our global reach in promoting peace and understanding. We support this service avenue by sponsoring or volunteering on international projects, seeking partners abroad, and more.
In the beginning of your membership we will pair you up with a member who will be your mentor. Your mentor will guide you through the process of becoming a “Rotarian.” Because we want you to succeed in this process, we do encourage you to attend every meeting possible.
We know things come up in our lives and so you can do meeting make ups by doing things such as:
You will be paired up with a Rotarian to help you through your training process. This Rotarian is considered your mentor. They will be there for you through your whole Rotary life.
You will be able to sit down with the Past Rotary Club Presidents to learn about the history of Rotary. You will also learn the process to earn your blue badge. We do this process in order for our new members to learn about our Club as well as letting our new members figure out how they truly want to use their skills to help Rotary. We encourage our Rotarians to be a part of a group/specialized area of our Club. If you want to do something specific, tell us! We will get you there.
Rotary International also offers Leadership Training seminars on a regular basis that you are encouraged to attend. There are also classes online that you can take in every single category that you can think of.
We pave the way for great leaders!
There are trainings, videos and more on the following websites:
The Rotary Club of Fort Myers is the oldest and the largest Rotary Club in Southwest Florida. Founded in 1922 when the City of Fort Myers was beginning to boom, our Club has broadly contributed to the growth and well being of our community through the decades. Our Club members were some of the first boosters for the Tamiami Trail. Our Club completed the iconic palms along McGregor Boulevard. We also pushed for the completion of Interstate 75 through our region. Our Club also has chartered the establishment of many new Rotary Clubs in the region over the years. The Rotary motto, “Service Above Self,” has been the inspiration for countless fundraisers, service projects, grants, scholarships, and other causes that have touched lives on a small and large scale. Over the years, the various efforts of the men and women of our Club have raised millions of dollars and made our community, and our world, a better place.
Rotary started with the vision of one man — Paul Harris. The Chicago attorney formed the Rotary Club of Chicago on 23 February 1905, so professionals with diverse backgrounds could exchange ideas and form meaningful, lifelong friendships.
Over time, Rotary’s reach and vision gradually extended to humanitarian service. Members have a long track record of addressing challenges in their communities and around the world.
Whatever Rotary may mean to us, to the world it will be known by the results it achieves.
Paul Harris Rotary founder
Our ongoing commitment
That commitment endures today through an organization that remains truly international. Only 16 years after being founded, Rotary had clubs on six continents. Our members now span the globe, working to solve some of our world’s most challenging problems.
We’re not afraid to dream big and set bold goals. We began our fight against polio in 1979 with a project to immunize 6 million children in the Philippines. Today, polio remains endemic in only two countries — down from 125 in 1988.
The Fort Myers Rotary Club (“Club”) established the Trust Fund in 1978 as a 501 (c)(3) organization, operated under a Trust agreement. Contributions to the Trust Fund come in a variety of ways, and began with a generous bequest from a single member. The Club holds several fundraisers during the year and requests contributions from members and friends , which are tax exempt as permitted under applicable tax codes. Club scholarships are provided through the Trust Fund.
Purpose
The Scholarship Committee is responsible for reviewing requests for the Club’s scholarships. The Scholarship Committee reviews applications and makes the appropriate recommendations to the Board of Directors acting as Trustees of the Trust Fund.
Eligibility Requirements
Two letters of recommendation: One from an academic reference, such as a teacher or guidance counselor, and one from someone outside the student’s educational institution, such as a community leader, employer, or business owner.
Essay (minimum 500 words, 12 pt. font, double spaced) explaining future goals, community involvement, and a general knowledge/understanding of Rotary.
Resume with outline of accomplishments
Copy of high school transcript or college transcript. Copy of high school transcript or college transcript. Both high school and college transcripts are required if the applicant/student is in their first year of college.
Minimum 3.0 GPA (unweighted).
All applications are due by March 30. Recipients will be announced by April 30.
If a scholarship is awarded, the Recipient will need to provide his/her/their social security number.
Criteria
The scholarship opportunity is open to all Lee County High School students and Lee County residents, having a 3.0 GPA (unweighted) or higher, and currently attending any Florida college or university.
All applicants for a scholarship must be enrolled in a degree-seeking program within an accredited college, university, or in an accredited program offered by a technical or vocational school, located in Florida.
If awarded, a scholarship of $2,000.00 will be paid out in one or two installments, pursuant to the discretion of the Scholarship Committee. Applicants may reapply each year, however there is no guarantee of award. Applicants awarded a $2,000.00 scholarship (“Recipients”) may reapply for and may receive one renewal scholarship, so long as the Recipient has maintained at least a 3.0 GPA (unweighted), however, there is no guarantee of a renewal scholarship for any Recipient. A renewal scholarship, if awarded, shall be paid out in one or two additional, separate installments, pursuant to the discretion of the Scholarship Committee. The maximum scholarship award that a single Recipient may receive from the Club is $4,000.00, which will be paid in installments, pursuant to the discretion of the Scholarship Committee. Only the fall and spring semesters shall be eligible college terms.
Financial Need will be a consideration, but not a requirement.
Rotary Interact or Rotaract membership/involvement is not a requirement, but will be viewed favorably.
Relatives of Rotary members may apply.
Scholarship Recipients are required to attend one Rotary meeting during their first college year.
Scholarship money is provided directly to the student. Funds will be released upon the receipt of proof of enrollment.
Scholarship applications may be downloaded. Completed Application packets are only accepted in electronic form and must be e-mailed to: office@RotaryFortMyers.org.
Grant Cycles
Scholarship application deadlines are the 30th of March. Recipients will be announced by the 30th of April.
The Fort Myers Rotary Club established the Trust Fund in 1978 as a 501 (c)(3) organization, operated under a Trust agreement. Contributions to the Trust come in a variety of ways, and began with a generous bequest from a member. The Club holds several fundraisers during the year and asks members and friends to make contributions, which are tax exempt as permitted under applicable tax codes. Club grants are made through the Trust. Download the application: Microsoft Word – Trust Fund Grant App.doc (rotaryfortmyers.org)
The Fort Myers Rotary Trust Fund is a 501(c)3 organization, and your donations may be tax deductible. Please check with your accountant to determine how this may apply to you.
The trust fund prefers to fund specific projects and equipment that will be used to help an organization achieve its mission.
Quarterly Grant Cycle – Typical grants are for less than $3,000 to recipients that improve the quality of life in the greater Fort Myers community. Organizations may apply for a grant once in any 12-month period.
Our Trust Funds go towards anything that our committees decide needs our attention at that moment in time. Some of the things the funds have gone towards:
Key Projects such as the things listed below.
Grants
Scholarships
Service Projects such as Youth Services Programs and those listed below.
Key Projects
The Club has been responsible for many service projects in the area, the first of which was the planting of Royal Palms along McGregor Boulevard in 1922. The City of Palms Committee continues this type of work today.
Legend has it Thomas Edison imported 200 palms trees and lined the dirt road then known as Riverside Drive from his winter estate to downtown Fort Myers. In 1922, Rotary Fort Myers continued the tradition started by Edison and extended the planting of palms trees along what is now Mcgregor Boulevard.
The Downtown Fort Myers Rotary Club has supported Florida SouthWestern State College (formerly Edison State College) through seed money for the Nursing School, lighting for the Bob Rauschenberg Gallery, an elevator for the Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall, and has held meetings on the Thomas Edison Campus. Several club members have served in leadership capacities (Trustees, foundation board members) and the faculty and club members enjoy a great partnership.
Funding of the Mike Lawrence bike and jogging path, which runs along McGregor Boulevard from Cleveland Avenue downtown to Cypress Lake Dr at the Town and River Estates.
The early completion of I-75 from Tampa south to Naples was a major project of the club that resulted in the highway opening 20 years ahead of the original schedule.
On the Club’s 75th anniversary, special playground equipment for handicapped children at Centennial Park was provided and dedicated.
Rotary Fort Myers is currently providing significant funds to ECHO’s fight against hunger in 180 countries.
Other projects include the participation in the acquisition of land that became Page Field, Fort Myers Beach Country Club, and the public beach area at Fort Myers Beach.
Service Projects
The Rotary motto Service Above Self conveys the humanitarian spirit of the organization’s more than 1.4 million members. Strong fellowship among Rotarians and meaningful community and international service projects characterize Rotary worldwide. Contact us if you would like to get involved.
Grants are limited to tax-exempt organizations (school programs, government entities or 501(c)(3) non-profit corporations). To be eligible to receive a grant, an application must be completed and submitted to the club. Incomplete applications will not be considered. The Rotary Club of Fort Myers and the Trust Fund Committee reserve the right at their sole discretion to make the final determination of the eligibility of each application. Microsoft Word – Trust Fund Grant App.doc (rotaryfortmyers.org)
What We Fund
The trust fund prefers to fund specific projects and equipment that will be used to help an organization achieve its mission.
Quarterly Grant Cycle – Typical grants are for less than $3,000 to recipients that improve the quality of life in the greater Fort Myers community. Organizations may apply for a grant once in any 12-month period.
A grant request will be considered if it can show that it:
Is likely to make a substantial difference in the quality of community life.
Will strengthen families and the community.
Can facilitate collaboration among relevant groups and organizations, with emphasis on regional cooperation across geographic boundaries.
Will seek to build partnerships between agencies, local government, or public institutions in order to create positive change.
Has the ability to expand meaningful civic engagement and build social capital.
Will help nonprofit organizations build capacity and become more effective.
Will leverage change in the capacity of community-wide systems rather than individual organizations.
What We Do Not Normally Fund
Multi-Year Projects
Capital Campaigns
Individuals
Travel
Normal Operating Expenses
Event Sponsorships
Annual Campaigns/Membership Drives
Endowments
Debt Retirement
Professional Conferences
Sports Teams
Political Campaigns
Research
Sectarian purposes (i.e. programs that promote a religious doctrine)
Fraternal Organizations or societies
Grant Cycles
Quarterly grant application deadlines are the 15th of July, October, January and April.
The grant cycle is normally 90 days. The Trust Fund Committee views the merits of each and every application, prior to submission to the Board of the Directors. The Trust Fund Committee may be in touch with you for further clarification.
Our preference is to benefit as many worthy organizations as possible; therefore, our preference is to award grants to new and different organizations. However, you may apply every year.
Decisions by the Trust Fund Committee and Board of Directors are final. You may re-apply the year following the rejection if you meet the necessary qualifications.
Each week, our Club sends out a newsletter to inform Club members about our weekly program, our recent accomplishments, and our upcoming events. Known as the Rotary Yak, the newsletter has been in circulation for over 70 years. Rotarian Ernest Stevens started the “Yak” in 1947.
When the Rotary Club of Fort Myers was founded in 1922, the community was on the verge of change. For many years a frontier cow town, Fort Myers had grown to a population of about 2,000. The City had incorporated several years earlier in 1911. World War I had just ended in 1918. In downtown, brick buildings were replacing the old wooden buildings of the late nineteenth century. Visitors from Northern states, the most famous of whom was Thomas Edison, wintered in the city in growing numbers. Despite the changes, Fort Myers still had no modern roadway connections. The railroad and the Caloosahatchee River were the primary means of reaching the City.
After many years of interest in forming a Rotary Club, a group of Fort Myers business leaders joined together to bring their vision into reality. There were only seventeen clubs in existence in the state of Florida at the time. J. Sanford Jewett, President of the Lakeland Rotary Club, had ventured to Fort Myers by train to assist with organizing the Fort Myers club.
The Rotary Club of Fort Myers held their first meeting at the Bradford Hotel on First Street at 12:30PM on Tuesday, March 7, 1922. The meeting time soon changed to 12:00PM sharp, and it has been so ever since. The charter for the Rotary Club of Fort Myers was issued in April 1922. There were 19 charter members.
Early Members and Causes
Membership Directory, 1920s.
For many years to come, the Club was open only to men. Among the classifications or employment areas represented in the initial membership were automobile dealer, druggist, ship builder, real estate, livery stable, fire insurance, laundry, grocer, dentist, banker, livestock, and lawyer.
During the initial years of the Rotary Club of Fort Myers, a foundation was laid for community support. The early Club shared with Rotary International a dedication to assisting boys in building character and experiences that could open them to a brighter future. The Fort Myers club sponsored a local boy scout troop. The Club also participated in activities that boosted the City of Fort Myers. The Club invested in the beautification of the city by sponsoring a drive to raise funds to eradicate palm tree pests. To further the cause of Rotary, our Club sponsored new Rotary clubs, including in this period the Punta Gorda Rotary Club.
Weekly Meetings Established
The Franklin Arms Hotel, 1920s.
The meeting place of the early Club often rotated. The Franklin Arms hotel hosted the Club for many years. Lunch in the 1920s was 75 cents for Rotarians.
Then, as now, our weekly meetings included a speaker, Club update, and, like the meetings of the present, a good deal of singing.
Our Club is still known as “the Singing Club.” Speakers of the period included business magnate Harvey Firestone, baseball legend Connie Mack, and Mina Edison, the wife of Thomas Edison.
A long line of distinguished women and men have served our Club as President, and our first was Ora E. Chapin, a local Banker and friend of Rotary International’s founder, Paul Harris. During Chapin’s term, his top priorities were transportation improvements, such as completing the Tamiami Trail, and helping young people in Fort Myers. To thank him for his term of service, the Club presented him a diamond-centered Past President pin at the end of his term. In return, Chapin presented an official gavel to the Club. The diamond pin was passed down from one President to the next for decades to come, and the gavel, reportedly, is the same gavel in use today at each of our weekly meetings.
Anyone can come to a meeting. Even if you do not know a current member come to a meeting and we can introduce you to some likeminded people. We can find someone perfect to pair you up with.
We also have social events that you can attend to meet our members and figure out who would be perfect as your Rotary Mentor. Look at our Club Calendar and our social media platforms to find our next social event.
If you’re interested in joining the Rotary Club of Fort Myers, begin by attending a few meetings as the guest of a current member or help out with one of our service or fundraising projects. Also, learn about Rotary International and its mission. Then, your sponsor can propose you to the Club as a new member.
After being proposed as a new member, your completed application will then be presented to the membership committee who will advise the club’s board of directors on your application. If the board approves your membership, your sponsor will be notified and request that your name be added to the membership roster. If no objection is made by a member within seven days, you will be invited to become a member.
At the next information meeting, the sponsor will accompany you, as a new member, for induction into the club.
Prospective Members Must:
Hold (or be retired from) a professional, executive, managerial, or community position. We welcome potential members whose current primary vocation is family manager.
Have demonstrated a commitment to service through personal involvement.
Attend meetings and participate in service and fundraising projects
Agree to follow the Four-Way Test of the things we think, say, and do in your dealings with others
