 | Rotarians around the world serve their communities  RI President Ian Riseley recognizes that it’s important that Rotary clubs define service themselves. During 2017-18, he encourages Rotary members to answer the question “What is Rotary?” with the theme Rotary: Making a Difference. However members choose to serve, they know their service makes a difference in the lives of others. Here are some examples of clubs doing just that:
- The Rotaract Clubs of Tilottama-Rupandehi and Tilottama Devdaha worked with their sponsor Rotary club to plant trees in their community.
- The Rotary Club of Cagayan de Oro Premier brought free medical and legal services to an underprivileged community in the Philippines. It provided general consultations, health assessments, medicine, and reading glasses. It also offered legal services such as consultations, drafting of affidavits, and notarization of documents. The club also hosted forums on two issues — violence against women and children, and stroke prevention and care.
- The Rotary Club of Jinja in Uganda installed water and sanitation facilities in a low-income community whose 500 residents are from areas of conflict around the country.
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| Make new friends all around the world  At President Riseley’s direction, the Rotary Friendship Exchange program has expanded and is now open to both Rotarians and non-Rotarians, with an emphasis on including more young professionals. The program allows participants to experience a different culture, deepen their international understanding, foster goodwill, and explore their professions in a different context while building lasting friendships and a foundation for peace and service. We encourage districts to organize exchanges around at least one of these themes: cultural, service, and vocational.
Group cultural exchanges Riseley encourages districts to participate in group cultural exchanges, a type of Rotary Friendship Exchange, over the coming year. Emphasizing cultural immersion, these exchanges ideally incorporate non-Rotarian young professionals, or those who are changing careers, to raise greater awareness, deepen intercultural understanding, and foster a global mindset. Learn more about Rotary Friendship Exchange and work with your district’s chair to organize an exchange. Read about the benefits of an exchange. | |
