World Community Service

Every time a Rotary club in one country helps a Rotary club in another to complete a local project it's an example of World Community Service (WCS). Since 1962, Rotary clubs have been working together across international borders under the auspices of this popular program.

Rotary clubs seeking assistance with a local project can register it with the WCS Projects Exchange, a semiannual listing which brings together clubs in need of resources with those willing to help. In addition to seeking funds or equipment and supplies, projects listed on the exchange are often in need of volunteers - doctors, engineers, or just people willing to lend a hand.

An exciting development in the World Community Service program is the establishment of the World Community Service Resource Network to provide information and advice to clubs and districts on successful approaches to carrying out international service projects, funding opportunities available through The Rotary Foundation and other sources, and international procedures for donated goods. This Network taps into Rotary's most valuable resource: the expertise of Rotarians.

Often a WCS project is initiated by a club with resources to donate. It locates a Rotary club abroad that would like to receive the goods by listing them in the DIN Bulletin, a quarterly report of the Donations-in-kind Information Network.

Regardless of how a WCS project begins, the participants and the community in which the project is undertaken share equally in its benefits. For the local club, WCS provides a means by which it can give more to its community than its resources would normally allow. For clubs assisting in the project, it's an opportunity to extend their parameters of service far beyond their own communities to improve conditions in other parts of the world. For all Rotarians involved, WCS is an excellent way to experience firsthand the internationality of Rotary.