Rotary: Community Service in a Modern World

I've seen it!

The roll of the eyes when I talk about my Rotary Club to anyone under 30 years old!

I know what they are thinking. Another excuse for a bunch of old dudes to get together and celebrate the fact they have lived so long!

And I have to admit, when I was asked to consider joining the Rotary Club of Centreville & Chantilly the first thing that popped into my head was the "Grand Poobah" from the old Flintstones cartoon.

Then I remembered those signs you see when you enter "Anytown, USA" with the logos of all the local organizations on them: Rotary, Optimists, Kiwanis, Elks, Shriners.

Then I thought of my Grandfather, who belonged to some of those organizations...which of course led me to the natural conclusion that if my Grandfather enjoyed his membership in these groups, there is  no way they could be relevant to me!

But having been invited I decided to see what Rotary was all about. And, much to my surprise it was not at all what my bias had convinced me it was. Instead, what I found was a vibrant service organization of people from every walk of life, working to meet the needs of a modern world.

What particularly impressed me was the cohesive sense of purpose its members had. Divisions were left at the door. No matter their age, political affiliation, religion, race or nationality Rotarians seemed united in their desire to do good in the world!

I joined immediately.

Rotary's motto is simple; "Service Above Self."

And its mission is clear; "To provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through its fellowship of business, professional, and community leaders."

It works to accomplish this mission through the participation of over 34,000 individual clubs throughout the world, initiating and implementing service projects in their own communities, and through sponsorship of projects internationally. Rotary International, of which all clubs are a part, organizes large scale projects and sets the direction for Rotary worldwide.

In 1985 Rotary International took on the challenge of eliminating polio from the face of the earth. Through its leadership, Rotary helped convince the World Health Organization (WHO) to call for its eradication, which led the way to the formation of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative. Through its PolioPlus campaign, Rotary has contributed over $1 billion dollars towards this goal.

And it is working. Through the efforts of Rotary and its partners, the number of cases of polio worldwide has gone from 350,000 in 1988 to only 238 last year, and the number of countries where Polio is endemic has dropped from 125 to 3. It won't be long before polio, like smallpox before it, will no longer be spoken of in the present tense.

On a local level, clubs take on a number of projects that benefit their communities and they band together to provide help internationally.

You may not have noticed because we don't do a very good job of publicizing ourselves, but the Rotary Club of Centreville & Chantilly has made a significant impact on our community and on the lives of those we have helped internationally.

From conducting road clean ups along Lee Highway, to arranging for pre-enrollment physicals for students whose parents cannot afford them, to providing scholarships and support to students at Mountain View High School, to adopting needy families during the holidays, we have impacted many lives in our community during the short time we have been in existence (since 2006).

Internationally,  we fund at least one ShelterBox per year. A ShelterBox contains many of the necessities needed by families that have been displaced by natural or manmade disasters, including shelter, cooking gear, and water purification equipment. And this year, with the support of other clubs in our area, we took the lead in obtaining a $10,000 grant used to support organizations providing medical and dental care for an impoverished community in Haiti still reeling from the devastating earthquake of 2010.

For all of their potential however, Rotary Clubs are only as successful in so far as their members are committed to it. With the Rotary Club of Centreville & Chantilly that is certainly not a problem. But, we are always looking to grow our ranks...the more members we have the more impactful we can be.

So, consider this an invitation to join us. If you have a desire to better your community and to help bring peace and justice to people around the world, there is no better place to start than the Rotary Club. Not only will you have an opportunity to put your ideals to practical use, but you will also find that fellowship is a major part of what binds us together.

We meet weekly at the Eggspectations Restaurant in Chantilly, located at 5009 Westone Plaza. Our lunch meetings start at 11:30 and end at 12:45.

Please join us anytime...no need to contact us first.

If you have any questions or would like further information, please feel free to email me at sonofkenny@gmail.com .

For more information about Rotary International go here .

For more information about Rotary's effort to wipe Polio from the face of the Earth, visit here .