Fall 2025 Semester Recap

Posted by Jake Sortino on Jan 18, 2026

Throughout the Fall 2025 semester, the Rotaract Club of Boston University has been successful in its efforts to allow student volunteers the opportunity to give back to their community through a variety of events Each event was rooted in one of the club’s three core focuses: community service, professional development, and bonding with other members of the club.

 
In October 2025, the club kickstarted its first “Thrive Well” event in partnership with Women Thriving to teach women how to prepare easy, nutritious, and healthy food to feed themselves and their families. This series of events aimed to tackle the persisting issue of women from low income areas throughout the world struggling to provide nutritious meals for their families due to the convenience of less healthy options. The club aimed to address this by inviting these women to learn a simple, healthy recipe, assist them in cooking and preparing the food, and then eating it together. The Boston University students who volunteered assisted with facilitating classes and chatting with the attendees, as well as bonding with their fellow Rotarians. The club hosted three of these events throughout the semester, with each session having a unique focus. The club recently held a special holiday Thrive Well event to celebrate Hanukkah, cooking delicious latkes and learning more about the Jewish culture. 
 
Later in October, the Rotaract Club tabled at the George Sherman Union on campus to raise awareness for a common occurrence among students and young adults: overloaded and improperly worn backpacks. With research showing how something so seemingly minor can have lasting effects, the club hosted its Backpack Awareness Day to give students the opportunity to weigh their backpack and create awareness for the adverse effects of carrying around an overweight backpack.
 

In early November, the club hosted a “Food for Thought” presentation during its second general meeting. The meeting allowed members to hear from a variety of speakers who spoke on topics such as food justice and food access, and the role that they play within the actions of Rotary and the local Brookline community. Presenters included Irvelt Perrin and Rebeca Palacios from the Brookline Food Services, who discussed implementation of sustainable awareness and practices from a young age through their projects such as Farm-Based Social-Emotional Learning and their Farm-to-School & Kelp Initiative. Their work has promoted healthier eating habits and has exposed these children to diverse culinary traditions, while allowing them to understand the environmental impact of their choices. At the end of the presentations, members of the Rotaract Club had the opportunity to chat with the presenters, and were able to ask their questions to these individuals and provide their insights and ideas on the topic. 

 

Before leaving campus for Thanksgiving break, the Rotaract Club partnered with the Brookline Rotary Club to support Project Linus. This organization provides handmade blankets to children 0-18 in the United States who are in need, and the club made and distributed blankets to children in hospitals in the local Brookline area. This event not only provided volunteers the opportunity to give back to their community in a meaningful way, but also allowed for interaction between the two clubs, creating lasting bonds and memories. 

 

This interaction between the two clubs continued after Thanksgiving. In early December, the club hosted an event titled “Cookie Chats,” where club members had the opportunity to network with members of the Brookline Rotary club, as well as other community leaders, who provided valuable knowledge and advice from their numerous experiences to club members. This event allowed the two groups to get to know each other better, and develop more personal relationships.  
 

In the short time between the Cookie Chat event and the beginning of finals for Boston University students, the club hosted an event titled “Meal Train.” In this event, volunteers  assisted with making 25 bagged lunches consisting of sandwiches, fruit, and a snack. These lunches were then transported to On the Rise, a day program for homeless and  formerly homeless women and transgender/nonbinary individuals living in crisis. 

 

Throughout the Fall 2025 semester, the Rotaract Club of Boston University has taken great strides to not only give back to their community, but to also come together and have the opportunity to bond. In the upcoming spring 2026 semester, the club hopes to continue their efforts and expand the club further, creating the opportunity for more events and greater community engagement.

 

By Jake Sortino
Historian for the Rotaract Club of Boston University