Brookline Rotary: Local Residents Committed to Their Community

If a service activity is happening in Brookline, there is a decent chance that the Brookline Rotary Club is the driving force behind it. Founded in 1938, the Brookline Rotary Club is an organization of community members who help to organize and participate in community-sponsored service activities. Rotary International operates all over the world with the goal of connecting local people to solve community problems, providing humanitarian aid, and promoting goodwill.

It was the desire to give back that prompted three current Brookline Rotary members to become Rotarians. The current president and Cambridge resident Sharon Herman first joined after retiring from her career as a special education teacher. “My husband was a Rotarian," she said. "I went with him and fell in love with the people. I was retired and knew something was missing. I was a teacher for 34 years, and I missed being part of a group that was solving real-world problems.”
Attorney Ken Goldstein was also familiar with Rotary long before joining himself. “My father was a Rotarian, and he passed away in 2000," he said. "A few years later, I felt the need to be involved in my community in a more philanthropic way.” Goldstein joined Brookline Rotary in 2008.

Karen Jacobs, a professor of occupational therapy at Boston University, has been a member for 14 years (formerly involved with the Rotary Club in Andover, MA) and recognized how Rotary complemented her own identity. “I respect the ‘service above self’ values of the rotary," she said. "I’ve been a single parent. The government helped me, and people helped me when I’ve been in need. It’s extremely important to give back.”

Each of these members has their hands full with a diverse range of philanthropic pursuits. Jacobs supports the organization Women & Girls Thriving in Brookline, teaching healthy cooking seminars for women and children in need and also serves as an advisor for BU Rotaract, a university service organization that works under the guidance and assistance of the local Rotary chapter. Goldstein helped to organize a Brookline-based Dancing with the Stars-esque competition where locals took dance classes and performed their routines for charity, and is also involved in a Rotary-sponsored yearly barbeque to welcome incoming freshman to Brookline High School each September. Herman is involved with Project Linus, which provides homemade fleece blankets to children in need. She even traveled to India with Rotary International to help administer polio vaccinations to local children.

Widely-held beliefs about Rotary clubs, specifically that they are oriented towards older white, male businessmen who are looking to network among themselves, persist to this day. Jacobs admits she held similar notions about Rotary until she hosted a local access cable show and one of her guests — a woman and self-identified liberal— was a Rotarian and invited her to attend a local chapter meeting. Since then, she was hooked. Goldstein also acknowledges these common misconceptions. “There is a belief that Rotaries are male-oriented and business-oriented," he said. "But, it is far more diverse today. It’s not about networking or secret handshakes. It’s about doing good work for the community.”

Women have been Rotarians since 1986, and Herman notes that the male/female ratio is almost equal in the Brookline chapter with 22 men and 19 women currently participating. Discussing divisive issues like politics and religion at meetings is forbidden, according to the official Rotary policy, to create an inclusive environment. “We are politically neutral," Jacobs said. "We do not promote our own businesses, and nobody personally benefits financially from Rotary.”

Rotary Clubs have a unique advantage as a philanthropic organization. “When I give money to a charity, I know that my money is going straight to the source,” Herman said. There is a lack of overhead and administrative costs associated with rotaries since a majority of their members are volunteers. According to their website, 91 percent of their funds go directly to programs. “Rotary members pay dues and often contribute more beyond their dues obligations," Goldstein said. "It’s a very efficient way of making money for good causes. The club also applies for, and often receives, grants from the greater Rotary organization, both at the international and the district level.”

The club engages in both fundraising activities as well as fundraising efforts that provide an opportunity for other non-profits to participate in their own fundraising efforts within Rotary-sponsored events. They also regularly donate the surplus dues and fundraising revenues to other philanthropic activities.

All three Rotarians expressed the same goal for the future of the organization — to expand membership. “All service clubs are having trouble with membership," Herman said. "Our meetings used to be weekly; now they are twice a month. We accept and understand that most people have busy lives, so we don’t take attendance at meetings and are pretty flexible. We want to make it works for people.”

The Brookline Rotary Club will host an open house at Hops N’ Scotch on February 27 from 5:30 to 7:30 pm for those interested in learning more about the organization and its initiatives as well as how to become involved. They are hoping this event can help communicate the organization’s value to the community. “We serve an important role," Jacobs said. "There is always need in the community, whether it is healthcare, literacy or a food bank. We’re good citizens. We love Brookline even if we don’t live here. We enhance what happens in Brookline. We’re the wind beneath the wings.”

By Alicia Landsberg

BrooklineHub.com is a 501C3 non-profit dedicated to reporting and commenting on life, culture and community in Brookline. As part of our mission, we advocate for non-profits vital in making this a better place to live, and by sponsoring and supporting events that promote community-building. We hold the belief that as a community, we should foster the well-being of all, remaining mindful of our young people, seniors, and underprivileged.