About Lawrence Central Rotary
Have a program suggestion? – Lawrence Central Rotary Email
Membership information – Manny Ramirez
Current Club President – Kade Meyer
Club Officers 2023-2024
President – Kade Meyer President-Elect – Megan Richardson
Vice President – Shelly McColm Secretary – Sam Camp
Treasurer – Daniel Palen Past President – Jim Evers
Program Coordinator – Scott Wagner / Jim Peters Membership Chair – Manny Ramirez
“Getting things done and having fun” describes the Rotary Club of Central Lawrence. Lawrence Central Rotary was formed and chartered in the spring of 2003. Ed and Jerry Samp are brothers who brought their vision of a new Rotary group located in historic downtown Lawrence to fruition. Our membership is small, right at 30 members, but growing.
To read an article in the Journal-World back from February of 2003 when Ed Samp announced the forming of the new club click HERE. Our club is located in District #5710 and our club is #61504.
What is Rotary?
Rotary was born in 1905, the idea of attorney Paul Harris, who along with four of his business friends founded the first Rotary Club. Harris’ idea was that business leaders should meet periodically to enjoy camaraderie, and to enlarge their circle of business and professional acquaintances. The name “Rotary” derived from the early practice of rotating meetings among member’s offices. As Rotary grew, its mission expanded beyond serving the professional and social interests of Club members. Rotarians began pooling their resources and contributing their talents to help serve communities in need. The organization’s dedication to this ideal is best expressed in its principal motto: “Service Above Self.”
The Four-Way Test
From the earliest days of the organization, Rotarians were concerned with promoting high ethical standards in their professional lives. One of the world’s most widely printed and quoted statements of business ethics is The Four-Way Test, which was created in 1932 by Rotarian Herbert J. Taylor (who later served as RI president) when he was asked to take charge of a company that was facing bankruptcy.
This 24-word test for employees to follow in their business and professional lives became the guide for sales, production, advertising, and all relations with dealers and customers, and the survival of the company is credited to this simple philosophy. Adopted by Rotary in 1943, The Four-Way Test has been translated into more than a hundred languages and published in thousands of ways. It asks the following four questions:
Of the things we think, say or do:
1. Is it the Truth?
2. Is it Fair to all concerned?
3. Will it build Goodwill and Better Friendships?
4. Will it be Beneficial to all concerned?
RI President R. Gordon R. McInally calls for Rotary to create hope in the world by working for peace and mental well-being. He urges members to engage in tough conversations and earn the trust that’s necessary to realize these values.
“The goal is to restore hope — to help the world heal from destructive conflicts and, in turn, to help us achieve lasting change for ourselves,” McInally said at Rotary’s annual training event for incoming district governors.
You can watch McInally’s speech about this year’s theme in the video below.
