Learn more about the projects that Rotarians and Rotaractors are bringing to life in their communities.
Photography by Chicago: Frank Ishman | Los Angeles: Patrick Strattner | San Francisco & Oakland: Ian Tuttle
Rotarians are doers. As Rotary’s vision statement proclaims, they want to live in “a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change.” That’s why they joined Rotary, and that’s why they stay. They want to be engaged.
So how can your club ensure it is providing sustained engagement for its members? On the following pages you will meet seven Rotary clubs and see how they do it. In Texas, the Rotary Club of Plano West has gone all in on community service. And the recently chartered Rotary Club of Network for Empowering Women, with members in multiple U.S. states and several countries, has great advice for involving new members. Finally, leave it to Rotary’s first five clubs to concoct a collaborative endeavor that is connecting current members in creative ways. Collectively, these clubs provide a model for how Rotarians can engage with the rich traditions of the past, the challenging conditions of the present, and our hope-filled expectations for the future.
First five collaborative
In 1913, on a Saturday in July, more than 100 men gathered in downtown L.A. and prepared to board the train that would carry them to the city’s harbor. Members of the Rotary Club of Los Angeles were planning to visit the recently chartered Rotary Club of San Diego, and spirits were high. Some men were clad in the ornate uniforms of a marching band, some vamped it up as vaudevillians, and still others were dressed as policemen with comically large badges.
