Service Above Self

Rotary is a worldwide organization of business and professional leaders that provides humanitarian service, encourages high ethical standards in all vocations, and helps build goodwill and peace in the world. Approximately 1.2 million Rotarians belong to more than 32,000 clubs in more than 200 countries and geographical areas.

Rotary club membership represents a cross-section of the community's business and professional men and women. The world's Rotary clubs meet weekly and are nonpolitical, nonreligious, and open to all cultures, races, and creeds.

The main objective of Rotary is service — in the community, in the workplace, and throughout the world. Rotarians develop community service projects that address many of today's most critical issues, such as children at risk, poverty and hunger, the environment, illiteracy, and violence.

One of many service areas undertaken by local Rotarians in our commitment to improving literacy. Escambia County has the lowest literacy rate in the state of Florida and is in the bottom twenty counties in the nation.

The ability to read and write is the foundation for the future for our young people and for our community. That’s why area Rotarians support programs such as Wee Read and ECARE (Every Child a Reader in Escambia) with our time and money.

Wee Read is a comprehensive early literacy training focusing on staff development for childcare workers serving children in high poverty areas, improved school readiness for children and parental involvement.

ECARE is a collaboration between the United Way of Escambia County, the school district, chambers of commerce, the Early Learning Coalition and Rotary Clubs designed to create a literate workforce in Escambia County. The goal is for all children in Escambia County to be prepared for kindergarten by 2011 and be able to pass the reading portion of the third grade FCAT by 2014.