Although the Brazil Rotary Club is known for its week long 4th of July celebrations in Brazil’s Forest Park—its 83rd to be exact—the club does so much more for the community. Brazil Rotary Club follows its motto: Service Above Self.
The local chapter, 50 men and women in all areas of business, is proud of its heritage, having as its first president Sylvester Schiele of Clay City, Indiana. Schiele was one of the original founders of Rotary International. As a local Clay County coal mine owner, Schiele did business in the big city of Chicago and needed an attorney. He knocked on the door of Chicago attorney Paul Harris, and later, through the ensuing friendship and together with several others, they formed Rotary International. In Brazil, the first annual Independence Day Celebration was held in Forest Park on July 4, 1936, hosted by the Lions Club, before Rotarians later took on the project.