The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1922-02-22
ANNIVERSARY
OF THE BIRTH OF ROTARY
Real Achievement of Rotary
Lies in the Way Spirit of
Service as Reaected.

Whatever achievement marks the
history of the past seventeen years Of
Rotary activity is due entirely to, and
its ultimate worth is marked by. the
! manner in which each individual club
has lived up to the creed that "he
profits most who serves best"
The real achievements of Rotary lies
in the way this spirit of service is re-
Elected in the community in which a
club has been established. It's activi-
ties are varied and numerous and are
usually confined to those things which
no other organization is formed to &C
complish, although some of it's great
est achievements, and necessarily its
least known activities, have been in
promoting work for and with other
organizations along the lines which
these other organizations are given
public recognition of accomplishment.
Thus during the great war. Rotarians,
nominated by International Headquar- 4
tiers or the local club, at the request
of government departments or war
work organizations like the Red Cross,
Y. NJ C. A, etc. formed the nucleus
groups about which were built many
most active and efficient local organi-
cations.
Taking the achievements of all Ro-
tary Clubs in the eastern and western
hemispheres they touch every phase
of community life.
Twenty-Five thousand boys and girls
who had just quit school were influ-
enced to return last September thru
the activity of ia Rotary Clubs in the
back to- school" movement which be-
gan with the Blackwell, Oklahoma,
Rotary Club three years ago. That is
just one of the phases of what is now
termed Boys Work--one of the several
special agencies through which prac-
tically every club in the International
organization has been active.
The principal branches of Boys
Work, in addition to the Boy Scout
movement, are: Providing or organic
ing the community to provide boys
camps, Fairgrounds and swimming |
pools; providing surgical treatment for !
crippled children; giving boys voca-
tional counsel; big brothering under |
privileged and delinquent boys; estab- |
fishing dental clinics, etc.
Literal millions of dollars have
been expended in boys work activities
initiated or pushed to a successful is
sue by Rotary Clubs and by Rotary
Clubs in association with other organ
izations. For Instance, in Buffalo, N
Y, the sum of 100000 was raised for
a high school stadium: in Minneapolis
transportation line for crippled chill
dren was established so these children
could go to school and the Minnesota
legislature acknowledged Rotary as
the author and vigorous prepayment of /
its legislation providing for adequate
schools for such children. These are i
but two specific instances of thous-
ands of actual undertakings Even anil
approximation of the amount of money
involved would be a wild guess, but
the monetary value pales to insignifi-
canoe in comparison with the COM
munity service rendered in the de-
velopment of these activities.
But boys work, as stated before, is
only one of the many achievements Il
Second to none in Rotary activities II
comes community service. Rotary 4
clubs in many cities have been instru-
mental in arousing a civic pride and Il
consciousness that has resulted in I
and adoption of city beau
tiful plans; erection of club houses
for soldiers and community settlement Il
houses; the providing of night schools II
for aliens, and their instruction in the II
of America nism. Better II
public highways, "get-together" meet II
ings of farmers and business men, II
community singing, employment Of II
visiting nurses, safety-first cam
paigns: in fact, complete list of the
various activities of Rotary clubs
would include nearly every phase of
mans endeavor toward making his
city. his state. and his country a better
place in which 10 live.
There are innumerable instances
where Rotary clubs have been called
ueon for service in times OF greatil
Stress. Probably the most striking ex-