By Carol Brennan, Florenceville Rotarian
Rotary was founded 121 years ago on this date, Feb. 23, in Chicago, Illinois. Today, the organization includes members dedicated to humanitarian service through over 36,000 clubs in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide.
The United Nations 80th anniversary was celebrated in October 2025. Rotary International was one of 42 organizations the United States invited to serve as consultants to its delegation at the San Francisco conference that resulted in the formation of the United Nations.
Today, Rotary holds the highest consultative status offered to a nongovernmental organization by the UN’s Economic and Social Council. Rotary Day at the UN, held each November, celebrates the organizations’ shared vision for peace and highlights the critical humanitarian activities that Rotary and the United Nations lead worldwide.
February is a special month for Rotary as it is Peacebuilding and Conflict Prevention Month. As a humanitarian organization, peace is a cornerstone of Rotary’s mission. By carrying out service projects, members take action to address the underlying causes of conflict, such as poverty, discrimination, ethnic tensions, lack of access to education, and unequal distribution of resources.
In Western New Brunswick, Rotary Clubs are active in Woodstock, Florenceville and Perth-Andover. The region benefits from the many service projects undertaken by Rotary Clubs to support education and literacy, health, food security, youth leadership and the environment. Globally, clubs support polio eradication, clean water and sanitation projects, and the growth of local economies.
Many of the projects undertaken have an underlying element of peace. For example, the Rotary Club of Florenceville recently donated grocery gift cards to Sanctuary House. On the surface, this appears to be a project that supports family safety and food security. However, aiding in providing a safe space and adequate nutrition helps foster personal peace and peace within the community.
In these times, we can all benefit from emphasizing peace within ourselves, our communities, our country, and our world.
