A Rotary Flag Exchange with a Twist of HistoryA fun tradition gaining momentum with our newer members is collecting and exchanging Rotary club flags during their travels.
More than just a souvenir, exchanging banner flags is a tangible reminder of Rotary’s global network—a shared commitment to service across more than 45,000 clubs worldwide. No matter where you travel, you’re never more than a degree or two away from a friend.
Case in point: our new member Anne Stevenson recently visited the Rotary Club of Boston St. Botolph in Lincolnshire, England! Pictured here is the club President Kathleen Bryant (left) exchanging flags with Anne. The connection runs deep: most of the Puritans who founded Boston, Massachusetts, hailed from Boston, Lincolnshire, and attended St. Botolph’s Church. Among them was Anne’s 10th great-grandfather, Rev. John Cotton, who served as Vicar there before emigrating to New England.
Of course, exchanging flags across the Atlantic came with a little historical irony—handing over our local club flag depicting American revolutionaries to our British counterparts was quite the moment!