Avenues of Service & Committees

The Club Service Committee has the role of performing logistical tasks that help the club run smoothly and make meetings successful.  It researches, selects, and schedules speakers for our weekly club meetings.  The committee organizes our social events that include an annual picnic, a banquet where the new club board for the upcoming year are installed and the current board members are recognized for their service to the club, an event to celebrate the anniversary of when our club became a member of Rotary International referred to as being chartered, identifying and securing a venue and meals for all of our meetings, and organizing activities where members get together to just have fun!

Community Service provides members of our club the opportunity to create, plan, and execute projects with improve and provide help to address a need in our local community.  Community Service projects start with either a Rotarian identifying a need in our community or a member our community bringing a need to our attention.  Members of the Community Service Committee at monthly meetings evaluate existing and potential projects and select those project that they wish to pursue.  The members plan the selected projects, obtain any materials required, and then implement them.  Some of our projects have included:

• Every 28 Days: Providing feminine hygiene projects to typically homeless women through a local non-governmental agency.
• Clark County Food Bank: A group of members and family members regularly visit the Food Bank to sort donated food that will then be distributed by the food bank to those with food insecurity issues.
• Wheelchair and Stroller Booth: For over thirty years our club has loaned out wheelchairs and strollers at the Clark County Fair to fair attendees needing them.  We do request donations that are used to maintain the equipment.
• Wood workers in our club have built little libraries and little pantries.
• First Responder Fourth of July Meals: We has provided assistance to Vancouver’s Mayor, Anne McEnerny-Ogle preparing and assembling meals for First Responders  who work on the Fourth of July.
• Veteran’s Day Parade: Marching in the Veteran’s Day Parade to recognize service that was provided by our community’s Veterans.

Through the International Committee our club participates in programs and projects that could be in or could take our members to any of over 200 countries or geographical areas outside of the United States.  These programs allow members of our club to advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through our interaction with Rotarians, their family members, and other people that we come in contact with through these programs.  The programs are World Community Service, Rotary Friendship Exchange, New Generation Service Exchange, and Rotary Youth Exchange.

• World Community Service: This program involves our club’s participation in a project is some other part of the world, but typically in a developing country.  We usually plan, fund, and implement these projects with a Rotary club in the country where the project is located.  These projects may be funded by the club directly or with help from the Rotary Foundation through grants.  Some of those projects have includes:
  • Microcredit projects in Central America and Africa
  • Literacy projects in Paraguay
  • Potable Water and Sanitation projects in Honduras and Costa Rica
  • Vocational Training projects for young single mothers in Kenya
  • High School Student Scholarships for indigent Kenyan children from rural villages
  • Mobility and Vocational programs for Guatemalans with paraplegia
  • High School Vocational and College Prep programs for indigenous Guatemalans teenage females
• Rotary Friendship Exchange. In this program, teams of Rotarians and family members travel to a Rotary District in another part of the world where they typically stay in the homes of local Rotarians.  They learn about the culture, customs, religion, and life styles of the Rotarians they visit.  There is a reciprocal team that then has the same experience visiting the district of the Rotarians that they hosted.
• New Generation Service Exchange: This program allows a youth adult up to the age of 30 to spend up to six months hosted by a Rotary district in some other part of the world where they either learn about their vocation or participate in a service project.
• Youth Exchange: Many Rotary District participate in Rotary’s Youth Exchange Program.  The programs are usually administered by Rotary districts and participants are between the ages of 15 and 19.  The exchanges can be either short term (up to three months) or long term(a full academic year).  The short-term exchanges are typically family to family exchanges.  The participant in a long-term usually has several host families during their exchange.

The programs our Youth Service Committee plan and oversee are Interact, RYLA, College Scholarship Program, and Rotaract.  Our club currently sponsor Interact clubs at Henrietta Lacks High School and Cascadia Technical Academy, both of which are in Vancouver, Washington.  Interact clubs are service clubs for young people ages 12 to 18 that give them the opportunity to develop leadership skills and to plan and implement at least two projects in their school or community and that promotes international understanding.  RYLA is short for Rotary Youth Leadership Awards that is an annual week long leadership training program for young adults organized and implemented by the Rotary District 5100 RYLA Committee.  Through our club’s Youth Service Committee, we can nominate a candidate to attend RYLA.  Annually this committee also oversees the selection of local high school students who are awarded scholarships to help pay college expenses.  Finally, Rotaract clubs currently have similar standing with Rotary International as do Rotary clubs.  Rotaract clubs are service clubs for young adults between the ages of 18 and 35 and can be either community based or college/university based.  Our club currently is not affiliated with a Rotaract Club.

Membership in Rotary is based on a member’s vocation, with each club striving to create a microcosm of its community’s business and professional world. This unique feature provides the source for Rotary’s historic commitment to vocational service, the second of Rotary’s four Avenues of Service.

Through vocational service, Rotarians are expected to adhere to and promote high ethical standards in all their business dealings, recognize the worthiness of all useful occupations, and contribute their professional expertise and skills to addressing societal problems and needs.

On a monthly basis we look at how club members are engaging in our activities and discuss strategies to promote improved levels of engagement. We encourage a continued influx of new club members that expand our diversity and enrich our overall club membership and connection to our community.

Retention: membership committee members discuss strategies for how we can ensure that current Rotary members – both blue badge and red badge members are acknowledged, well connected and enjoying their experience within the club fully, every year.

Prospects: membership committee members help support candidates with engagement at club meetings, as well steward these contacts through our induction processes like orientation and induction.

For more information on Membership through the Rotary Club of Greater Clark County please contact Jim West at westsnwest@comcast.net.