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KIRKSVILLE, MISSOURI -- District 6040 of Rotary International announces for only the fourth time in the 106 year history of the world-wide civic organization, Rotary International will hold a District conference in Northeast Missouri.  Founded in 1905, Rotary’s previous District conferences held in Kirksville occurred in 1928, 1940, and 1970.  Members of the fifty-four clubs that comprise District 6040 of Rotary International will gather in Kirksville on April 29 & 30 under a theme of “Celebrating Service ~ Celebrating Clubs”.  District 6040 has 2,900 members in a geographical area that includes Kansas City and extends across the northern half of Missouri.  Kirksville is the home of the current District 6040 Governor, Jeff Romine, and, 2010-2011 Rotary International President, Ray Klinginsmith.

As the world's first service club and currently the largest, Rotary began as an idea of Paul P. Harris, a Chicago attorney who wished to capture, in a professional club, the same friendly spirit he had felt in the small towns of his youth. The Rotary name is derived from the early practice of rotating meetings among members' offices.  Rotary's popularity spread, and within a decade, clubs were chartered from San Francisco to New York to Winnipeg, Canada. By 1921, Rotary clubs had been formed on six continents. The organization adopted the Rotary International (RI) name a year later. Today, 1.2 million Rotarians belong to over 32,000 Rotary clubs in more than 200 countries and 500 geographical Districts.

As Rotary grew, its mission expanded beyond serving club members’ professional and social interests. 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 motto: Service Above Self.

The upcoming District 6040 Conference in Kirksville will feature: presentations by RI President, Ray Klinginsmith, former Rotary Foundation General Manager, Duane Sterling, and, current RI Director, Fred Hahn, plenary sessions covering a variety of Rotary topics, celebration of a ten year “Shoes for Orphan Souls” partnership, “hands on” service projects, District business meeting, golf outing, and social events.  Rotary clubs in Northeast Missouri include: Unionville, Schulyer County, Scotland County, Knox County, Kirksville, Thousand Hills (Kirksville), Macon County, Brookfield, Marceline, and Milan.