The familiar mechanical gear, symbolizing the Rotary International service club, is a fixture on signs in many towns and cities across America. Most Americans recognize Rotary International as one of a handful of prominent service clubs that do good deeds in communities throughout the U.S.

But the extent of the good work done by Rotary clubs around the United States and across the globe is not well known, beyond the Rotarians themselves.

This month's marking of the 100

th

anniversary of Rotary International has provided the opportunity to learn more about the organization that was founded in Chicago on Feb. 23, 1905, by attorney Paul Harris.

In the hundred years since its founding, Rotary International has grown to include 31,000 clubs in 166 countries with 1.2 members, including about 150,000 women, who were first able to join in 1989.

But more than these impressive numbers, it was the descriptions of the many community projects involving Butler County Rotarians, described in the Rotary International insert included in the Jan. 26 Butler Eagle, that left a greater impression.

Scores of men and women, many of them well-known in their local communities, were featured or listed in articles, photographs and local club rosters in the insert. The eight Butler County clubs in Rotary District 7280 have managed projects ranging from planting gardens and working on playgrounds to running pancake fundraisers and supporting various scholarship programs.

On the national level, the anniversary publication served as a reminder of the well established Rotary International exchange program that permits students to spend a year abroad.

The other international program that is less well known is the massive Rotary International effort to eradicate polio from the face of the earth. What began as a five-year commitment in 1979 to wipe out polio with a $120 million pledge. Now that the goal is within sight, it is estimated that rotary International has raised and spent $600 million and provided vaccines to millions of children in poor and developing countries.

From ridding the world of polio to tsunami relief, for which Butler County groups have raised some $100,000 and two Portersville Rotarians plan to return to Sri Lanka with financial assistance to rebuild a school that they helped build three years ago, Rotary International is unique blending of local and global work. In addition to a global scope, Rotarians not only raise money for worthy causes, but they are also very hands-on, getting personally

Clubs across Butler County offer fellowship while demonstrating a clear commitment to service, one of the core ideals of Rotary International since its founding one hundred years ago. Rotarians, in Butler County and elsewhere, play important roles in their communities and should be recognized for their honorable service to others.