What is Rotaract?
Rotaract was started by Rotary International in the late 1968. The first Rotaract club was chartered in Charlotte, NC. The name is coined from “Rotary in Action.” Rotaract clubs are either community-based or university-based. All Rotaract clubs are sponsored by a Rotary Club. The purpose of Rotaract is to provide opportunities for young people to address the needs and concerns of our community and our world and to develop professional and leadership skills. Today, there are more than 8,000 clubs in 170 countries, with more than 189,000 members. Members are typically between the ages of 18-35 and are employed in a variety of professional careers. Members have a strong interest in fellowship, community service, international service and developing leadership skills.

​History of Rotary International
The purpose of Rotary is to foster leadership and responsible global citizenship, encourage high ethical standards in business, and promote international understanding and peace. The first Rotary club was formed in Chicago in February 1905. The ninth Rotary club was chartered in Minneapolis in 1910 and the tenth club in St. Paul that same year. The first Rotary club outside the US was chartered in Winnipeg, Canada in November 1910; the first club in Europe, in Dublin Ireland, in March 1911. In order for charter clubs to develop outside the US, the name, Rotary International, was adopted by the Los Angeles convention in June, 1911. Rotary is truly an international organization with 1.2 million Rotarians in every country in the world.