Rotary - What’s in it for me?
Merrick Peiris – President Rotary Club of Colombo Central
Why do men and women from all walks of life join Rotary? With a membership of over 1.2million people worldwide and over 1600 members in 32 clubs in Sri Lanka, Rotary means different things to different people. Membership in Rotary is by invitation. Leaders in industry and professions, men and women who are either leaders in industry, or those with significant personal achievements and great potential, and those who have made significant contributions to society and to services are recognized and invited to join Rotary.
Then is membership in Rotary simply about recognition?
Ten years ago, Rotary international started a campaign with a vision to eradicate polio from the face of this earth. Today, 99% of the world is rid of Polio. For the last 8 years, Sri Lanka has not reported a single case of Polio. Imagine the hundreds of children who would have been crippled by this dreadful decease but now saved to live normal active lives.
When tsunami hit the South Asian region devastating many lives and livelihoods, their future and their hope, Rotarians in Sri Lanka committed to re-build 22 of the destroyed schools at a cost of over 12 million dollars; the largest single project ever undertaken by a service organization in any country. Among other such projects, The Rotary club of Colombo Central built and equipped a vocational service center in Allawaa, donated a new ward to the Maharagama cancer Hospital, and renovated a reservoir in Hambanthota for irrigation.
Then is Rotary all about big projects by big people?
Rotary international is all about all types of people from all over the world. Clubs from all over the world join together and are involved in rebuilding the lives of those affected through vocational service projects and community service projects. Projects can be as small as one member identifying and the club donating a wheel chair to a needy, donating a sewing machine for some one to start a small business, giving some tools to villagers to grow vegetables, or a group of volunteers conducting a health camp in a remote area. Each member can volunteer and be involved to give as much time and effort as they wish to conduct projects.
Rotary clubs from all over the world joined hands and raised money to help clubs in Sri Lanka, and those in all other affected countries to rebuild those devastated lives. When one joins Rotary, it does not mean a membership of a club of 40 or 50 members. You join a community of 1.2 million people, and you are privileged to attend any Rotary club meeting anywhere in the world. Today, Rotary International having celebrated 100 years of service looks forward to serving the next century.
As we look forward to the next century, Rotary sees this year as a year of consolidation and of building new foundations. With this year’s Rotary International theme “Service above Self” Rotarians will focus efforts on providing the basic human needs which are, Water, food, health and literacy. In considering the demand for such basic needs closer to home, let us look the ground realities in Sri Lanka. You and I, we take access to clean water for granted. Yet in areas such as UVA and Sabaragamuwa, only 30 to 40% of households have access to clean drinking water. In Batticaloa and Trincomalee, over 70% lack access to good sanitary facilities. That’s over 3million of our own people in Sri Lanka. Lack of water for drinking and irrigation has a direct impact on rural poverty. It has a direct impact on food; on health, on education and on livelihood.
As a service organization, Rotary has a universal commitment not to use any project funds towards administrative costs. Rotarians are volunteers. Yet, Rotary membership does not require deep pockets or giving beyond means. To be a dedicated Rotarian, one is expected to give one’s time, effort, expertise and full commitment to service. To serve above self. All funds raised for projects will go towards projects; and to nothing else. Some give leadership, time, effort, expertise, commitment or funds.
Membership in Rotary is not just about individuals, but also about family, fellowship and friendship. The Rotary family includes the inner-wheel clubs, Rotaract clubs and Interact clubs.
What is Interact? It is about grooming future leaders and committed citizens.
“This earth was not given to us by our parents, but merely lent to us by our children”
“We cannot build a future for our youth. So let us build our youth for a future”
The main objective of encouraging school children to form and join an interact club is to give them the opportunity to become good leaders, to be valuable citizens in society and to serve the wider community as well as help those less privileged.
Good leadership needs an ability to Inspire others to follow the right path; to Influence to do the right thing; to Inculcate the right values in life and to Instill a sense of discipline to ensure fairness and goodwill.
As an example, Rotary Colombo Central has been the sponsoring club for four of the leading school interact clubs in Colombo. The interact clubs of Ananda College, Nalanda College, St Joseph’s College and St Thomas’s Prep are shining examples of youth leadership at its best. These have conducted a number of projects in various avenues to help bring about goodwill among the youth in our country. For example, Interactors of Ananda College, Colombo conducted a video conference with a team of Roteractors of Papua New guinea where they all learn about each others cultures and traditions. Looking at these youngsters project reports, quarterly reports, planning and organizing capabilities should give their schools a sense of pride and joy as well as great hope for a good future and greater achievement.
Staff advisors appointed by the school have been dedicated in guiding these young interactors in every step of the way. While the sponsoring Rotary club provides the opportunity to interact with the wider community internationally, all the members of a school interact club remain answerable to the head of the school and will at all times be guided by the school staff advisor and will uphold the school values and discipline and will show allegiance to our national flag at all times.
Membership of an Interact club gives them an opportunity to see the world and fellow citizens in a different light; to be caring towards the less privileged brothers and sisters; to be able to set good examples for others to follow.
“Education has its objective the formation of character” and membership of interact adds to grooming good leaders and valuable law abiding citizens. Through Interact, Rotary can build a better understanding and a closer link with our future and foster the Rotary spirit and family values. Boys and girls aged between 14 and 18 can become a member of an interact club.
Youth between the ages of 19 to 28 can join or form a Roteract club that needs to be sponsored by a Rotary club. Rotaractors in Sri Lanka have been very active in community service projects. Project work such as rebuilding schools, building houses, running health camps are only part of their committed activities.
Then what does membership in Interact or Roteract mean? Taking ino account all the different activities, they mean having fun while serving, interacting with youth from all over the world and broadening one’s horizon, being involved in fund raising projects and learning about organizing and management, learning to share, to lead and to serve.
Rotary gets involved in projects in all four avenues of service. Serving the less privileged through community service. Uplift the lives of the needy through vocational service. Guide our future through youth services. Foster international understanding and goodwill through International service. Rotary projects are not measured by the size or duration. Each member is expected to be directly involved in projects. Membership or project activities are not directed towards any country of nationality. It does not discriminate against peoples, religions or race.
In all its activity, Rotarians are expected to have and uphold high ethical values at all times. In all day to day dealings every Rotarian is expected to consider the “four way test”. In things we think, say or do, we have to ask ourselves the questions:
- Is it the truth?
- Is it fair by all concerned?
- Will it build goodwill and better friendship?
- Will it be beneficial to all concerned?
To continue with life, any living thing or organization needs to grow. Like water in a flowing river, Rotary needs new members, new thinking and dynamism to keep it from stagnation. The leadership in every club needs to change every year. Therefore Rotary attracts new, younger men and women to continue with its service that keeps the club growing. As long as there is a demand for service, for friendship, for fellowship, there will always be a need for a growing expanding Rotary.
As a Rotarian, what are my commitments for time?
Each Rotary club must hold club meetings for its members once a week. At such weekly meetings the club may invite a prominent person to talk about a current issue or any topic of interest or it could be a club assembly where members discuss projects. Members also meet for fellowship, to strengthen the Rotary family friendship. These meetings are decided upon by the members and the expenses for such meetings are borne by the membership. Funds collected for projects cannot be used towards the club expenses.
As a voluntary service organization members make their own commitment on “investment of quality time and effort”, on how much is spent on service projects. Therefore, your Members return on investment would be proportionate to quality of service and effort. However, it is the combined forces of diversity in expertise and knowledge that give results. It is about helping people help themselves to live a more productive and dignified life.
Then as a member or a potential member, one might ask the question again, “then, What’s in it for me?” The answer is simple. “Rotary is an opportunity to serve; through friendship and fellowship; in Service above self. “
For more information about projects and activities visit www.rotaryinternational.org or search “rotary3220” or www.rotarycolombocentral.org