Stillwater Sunrise Rotary Club - Stillwater, Minnesota

• Club #22065
• The Stillwater Sunrise Rotary Club is one of about 32,000 clubs in 172 countries and geographic regions.
• Our club is one of 68 clubs in Southeast Minnesota and Western Wisconsin with over 3400 members, which comprise Rotary District 5960, one of 526 Districts worldwide.
• As Rotarians, we are part of a worldwide group of over 1,200,000 members committed to encourage and foster the ideal of service as a basis of worthy enterprise.
• Rotary was organized in Chicago in 1905 by Paul Harris. The first club met in rotation in the member’s offices, thus the name Rotary.
• Each District elects a District Governor, and each autonomous Club elects its own governing body.

The Sunrise Club was chartered September 19, 1984. There were 23 charter members.  Our membership stands at 57 and growing.

The Stillwater Sunrise Rotary meets weekly for fellowship and discussions on important topics. We participate actively in the many Rotary events locally, statewide, nationally and internationally.

Rotary conducts one of the largest youth exchange programs in the world.  Over 9500 young people from 60 countries have traveled to another country for academic and social experience.

Sunrise Rotary has regularly hosted visiting students from other countries and has sponsored local students in their visit to other lands.

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:

• 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 by each Rotarian of his/her occupation as an opportunity to serve society.
• The application of the ideal of service by every Rotarian to his/her personal, business, and community life.
• The advancement of international understanding, good will, and peace through a world fellowship of business and professional men/women united in the ideal of service.

Of the things we think, say or do...

1. Is it the TRUTH?
2. Is it FAIR to all concerned?
3. Will it build GOOD WILL AND BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?
4. Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?

Club Service:
Those things that a Rotarian does to help make successful the running of his/her Rotary Club.  These activities include the planning, implementation, and member participation in the following:

• Interesting and informative weekly club programs.  Each member is responsible on a rotating basis to arrange for an interesting speaker.
• Publishing our weekly club newsletter.
• Annual social events, including a summer picnic and a Christmas party.
• Other special events.

Vocational Service:
Activities which promote the “Ideal of Service” throughout the business and professional world include the following:

• Programs and activities calling attention to the Four Way Test, and how it may affect our daily actions.
• Programs dealing with employer/employee relations, including an award to employees for outstanding performance which exemplifies the ideals of Rotary.
• The opportunity to visit the place of business of some of our members in order to learn about their business.

Community Service:
Every Rotarian is urged to participate individually in those activities which makes his/her community a better place to live.  In addition, our club is active in supporting or participating in the following activities:

• Rake-A-Difference yard raking for seniors
• Highway Clean-Up Days
• Halloween Parade at Boutwells
• “What’s Best for Kids” Golf Fund Raiser
• Annual Fund Raiser(s) as approved by the Board

International Service:
To encourage and foster the advancement of understanding and goodwill among the peoples of the world.  Our club actively supports the following:

• Rotary Foundation.  Each member is encouraged to contribute generously to support this program.  When $1000 is contributed in a Rotarian’s name, that person is eligible to become a Paul Harris Fellow.
• Group Study Exchange Program which sends small groups of young professionals from each District to a different part of the world to explore their career fields.  The exchange is four to six weeks and the participants live with and observe the work of Rotarians in that area.
• Ambassadorial and Peace Scholarship Programs which provides grants to outstanding undergraduate and graduate students for continuing their studies in a country other than their own.
• Polio Plus, an international program to immunize the children of the world. Rotary has pledged to help control polio world wide.  As of 2007, four countries are not yet polio free.
• International Youth Exchange.  Sunrise Rotary participates in sending local high school students abroad to live and learn in another country.  In a like manner, our club hosts inbound students in our community. 
• Fast for Hope, a District 5960 service project to provide help to the people of a needy country in the western world.
• World Community Service, a rotary international service project initiated by a local club with a club from a needy, foreign country.  In the past, our club has done projects in Argentina, Africa, India, and Ecuador, among others.

Members must be adults of good character with good professional or business reputations, who are actively engaged in the business or profession in which they are classified within the club. They shall hold an important position in an executive capacity, or be engaged as owner, proprietor, partner, corporate officer or manager of any worthy and recognized business or profession.

Each active member shall have a classification describing the principle and recognized activity of the firm, company, or institution with which he or she is connected.

The weekly meetings are held regularly every Tuesday beginning 7:00 a.m. and adjourning at 8:00 a.m.

The regular meeting place is Joseph’s on Route 36 in Oak Park Heights. Occasionally, meetings are held elsewhere, but adequate advance notice is provided to the membership. Check the web site often for updates.

Participation:
Play an active role and get involved in at least one Club activity, Rotary is more meaningful and important with involvement.

Leadership:
Rotarians exemplify “Service about Self”.  Rotarians are expected to provide leadership in our community, as well as our profession or business, on an individual basis as well as a part of a Rotary sponsored project.
 
Attendance:
100% meeting attendance is encouraged.  Rotarians try to attend each weekly Club meeting or make it up at another Rotary Club within the period of 14 days before or after the missed meeting.  A list of Rotary Clubs in the metropolitan area, together with their meeting places, data, and time is provided on the district website (www.rotary5960.org).  When you make up a meeting, turn in your attendance card from that Club to our Club secretary for attendance credit.

Financial:

• Dues are currently $160.00 per quarter.  This includes club, district, and international dues, and breakfast.
• Rotary International requests that each member contribute a minimum of $100 per year to the Rotary International Foundation annual fund.
• Our club has a tradition of each member making a contribution to the Fast for Hope District project.
• Cost of special events is charged to participants.

Participation:
Club members are expected to work on at least one fund raiser during the year and to help with one club service project.