Sometimes, getting people to join your Rotary club is the easy part. It’s keeping them, long after the glow of the induction ceremony has worn off, that can prove challenging. The Rotary Club of Evanston, Illinois, USA, has used several strategies that help new members feel connected.

“You have to get them involved, give them a responsibility,” says club president Wally Bobkiewicz. “Every new member is asked to join at least one committee.” Bobkiewicz also gives new members a club meeting assignment, such as acting as greeter or sergeant-atarms, and makes certain they sign up for social events and service projects. “And it’s worked,” he says. Since December, the 98-year-old club has increased its membership 10 percent, to 48 members. One of the newcomers is Cindy Beebe, a retired federal agent who now operates her own security business. Within 24 hours of joining, Beebe had signed up for the garden committee. She’d also received the New Member Welcome Kit, along with a club roster and custom club brochure. Beebe says she found the roster, which includes each club member’s name, photo, and business affiliation, the most helpful. “I’m good at faces but not names,” she admits.

In his theme speech for the Rotary year, 2015-2016 Rotary International (RI) President K.R. Ravindran challenged all Rotarians to use the year to "bring the work of Rotary forward -- to make its mark on the world." Boston Rotaract truly took this challenge to heart in the last year. With the RI theme, Be a Gift to the World, in mind, we aimed our efforts on serving in three of six RI areas of focus: fighting disease, saving mothers and children, and supporting education. This allowed us to use our members’ unique talents and passions to maximize our club’s impact and ensure that we met the needs of the communities we served.
 
In a state with over 33,000 nonprofits and many other organizations committed to doing good, our club remains a go-to when someone needs a hand. We have spent the past year getting to know the Boston community better and serving where we were needed most. We served 355 hours with local organizations and also completed our international project in support of school children in Ganvie, Benin, Africa who will soon have a new boat to provide them safe and reliable transportation to and from school.

What could be better than a warm summer day, a beautiful green field, and the crack of a bat? How about the crack of a plastic bat, mixed with laughter and cheers, with friends and family on the field?