“Service Above Self.”

That’s the motto of Rotary International, and the Mathews club spent last week’s meeting explaining just what the club is all about, what it does for the community and the benefits that its members get from being a part of the civic organization.

Lori Jackson Black, the club’s immediate past president, gave a presentation titled “What is Rotary?” to members and guests in attendance at last Thursday’s breakfast meeting at the Piankatank Ruritan Club building in Hudgins.

From humble beginnings in a Chicago office 110 years ago, Rotary quickly blossomed. Five years after its founding, in 1910, the club held its first convention with 16 clubs in attendance. Two years later, it became an international organization.

Today, Rotary International has 34,282 clubs and 1.2 million members worldwide. Throughout its history, the mission of Rotary has remained unchanged—to “make the world a better place,” Bla...