Our speaker this week is Alta McMaster of the Jes Foord Foundation which will really explain what the "Handbag Project" is all about. The video says it all.
The Foundation is collecting men’s, women’s and children’s hand bags and filling them with the items below for distribution to the survivors:
PantiesLiquid soap
Body cream
Sanitary pads
Face cloth
Lipstick
Chocolate
A small gift
The Rotary club of Johannesburg New Dawn is proud to be assisting Jessica by collecting the hand bags and contents from members and friends, and welcomes all contributions.
Once the handbags are handed over to the Police Stations, they are sealed in a plastic bag and given a number and monitored on a regular basis.
HSBC has dedicated the whole of August to Women and have selected our New
Dawn Rotary Club Handbag Project as their Staff Charity project and they will be collecting goodies for our handbags. Sue
HSBC has dedicated the whole of August to Women and have selected our NewDawn Rotary Club Handbag Project as their Staff Charity project and they will be collecting goodies for our handbags. Sue
Last week our speakers were Zeenat Bikhoo and Natalie Prinsloo of Trinity Health Services. It was a very interesting presentation because we don't see enough of the projects that students, in this instance medical students, do in terms of outreach to the severely disadvantaged.
It is not often we have a visitor from Berlin....that's what the banner presentation is all about!
Enjoy Peter, Paul & Mary in the Video Bar!
Members of the Diablo View Rotary Club donate their time by cleaning up the Iron Horse Trail in California. Photo courtesy Diablo View Rotary Club
Enjoy Peter, Paul & Mary in the Video Bar!
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| Here's Graham Donet leaving Rotary. He should have offered us all a ride! Vespas don't age.......... |
Rotary clubs make changes to attract younger members
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E-mail page Members of the Diablo View Rotary Club donate their time by cleaning up the Iron Horse Trail in California. Photo courtesy Diablo View Rotary Club
When Rotarians in Walnut Creek, California, USA, found it difficult to attract young professionals to the area's morning and afternoon clubs, they set out to establish a new club that would accommodate busy, on-the-go schedules.
The Rotary Club of Diablo View (Walnut Creek), chartered in 2009, meets in a local brewery at 5:30 p.m. every Thursday. Club president Jennifer Beeman says the club sets aside time each week for socializing before turning to club business, and that the relaxed atmosphere appeals to younger members.
Beeman was only 24 years old when she became a charter member of the club, and she's now one of the youngest female club presidents in Rotary. The club has 26 members, 90 percent of them between the ages of 25 and 40.
"Because we have younger members, our attitude is different. People have told us how refreshing it is to have young faces behind Rotary," Beeman says.
She says the club carries out many projects in the community so that members have an opportunity to do hands-on service. Every month, for instance, it plans an outdoor project, such as cleaning up nature trails. Younger Rotarians usually have more time than cash at their disposal, she says, so they tend to contribute by volunteering.
The club recruits new members through social media like Twitter and Facebook, and it has a mentoring program to help with retention. All new members are assigned a mentor, who spends extra time with them outside regular meetings.
"The modifications we've made have helped our club appeal to younger professionals and retain them," Beeman says. "They’ve created a high-energy club."
Beeman says clubs must be willing to make a few changes to attract younger members. Here are some examples of what other clubs are doing:
- Through a student membership initiative, the Rotary Club of Hope Island, Queensland, Australia, invites college-age students to meetings and subsidizes the cost to bring a youthful perspective to the club.
- The Rotary Club of Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, has created the 25 Club, a club-within-a-club. The members hold additional meetings, sponsor regular social gatherings, and carry out a number of service projects. The inductees are generally younger, and after a year, they transition into the parent Rotary club.
- The Rotary Club of Crawley, Western Australia, Australia, started a mentoring program that helps new members transition into the club. The club’s average age is now in the 30s.
- The Rotary Club of Bricktown Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA, meets in a tavern. First-time guests are treated to two free beverages, compliments of the club. Read more.
- The Rotary Club of South Metro Minneapolis Evenings, Minnesota, USA, meets in the evenings and lowers costs by not having meals. The third meeting of the month is a happy hour/networking event at different locations in the city. The fourth meeting is a volunteering opportunity. Read more.
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17 Comments:
At 10:49AM on 11 August 2011, Ruchir Jani wrote:I am a Charter member of Vapi Riverside, RID3060, Gujarat, India. Our club chartered in 2004 with members at an average age of 35 and since then we are inducting young members and keep our average age below 40.
At 10:21AM on 1 August 2011, Dr.Sanjiv Sharma wrote:Rotary International shall have a different fee structure for younger members- as most are in initial struggling Phase of there careers especially in Underdeveloped countries.
At 9:39AM on 1 July 2011, Alison Cooper wrote:It is important to get new younger members. Has anyone got ideas such as a fee structure for those younger people that do not have the extra imcome to pay the normal fees and costs but have the time and energy?
At 9:48AM on 18 May 2011, Jessie L. Bower wrote:I really like the ideas presented here, our club will have to adapt if it is going to attract younger members. As a brand new member, age 26, I am already seeing several reasons why my peers are unable to join Rotary. Both clubs in Fort Wayne, IN meet at noon. Out of all my friends 99% of them would be unable to make it just because of the meeting time. I hope we can make changes to accommodate busy working professionals.
At 12:13PM on 10 May 2011, Mary-Anne DiBlasio wrote:It is important to keep recruiting younger and younger members, for the simple reason, we are getting older and older! :o)
At 10:13AM on 2 May 2011, Janey Ball wrote:Wow, I really like this idea!
At 1:12PM on 26 April 2011, Carmen Villalta wrote:Our club has Maria Jose Schonenberg as a member, she is 23 years old, and last year she was the Rotarian of the year, for all the good work and activities she organized. Our club Real de Minas Tegucigalpa is very happy to have young active Rotarians as members.
At 1:36PM on 25 April 2011, Bob James Jr wrote:We started the La Jolla New Generations club in 2007. Our average age is 32 and we are happy to be starting our 5th year in Rotary! It would be great if we could continue to spread the word about younger aged Rotary clubs being viable! There are 5 that I know of in Southern California alone! Congrats Diablo View!!!
At 11:52AM on 25 April 2011, Tim Meek wrote:Is Jennifer this years youngest Female Rotarian President in the World? Awesome accomplishment regardless!!
At 9:28AM on 25 April 2011, Kari Anne wrote:Rotaract clubs are also a great way to help raise membership in a district. Sponsoring Rotaract clubs allows young adults who are not ready to join Rotary get a head start. Many Rotaractors go on to be Rotarians, so by boosting the number of Rotaract clubs in your district you can also boost Rotary membership.
At 9:26AM on 25 April 2011, Michelle Wilkinson wrote:What refreshing ideas are on this page I was talking to the president of Yarrowonga Victoria, Australia and they have 2 meetings and 2 network community projects per month. I am glad to see we are looking towards the future - thanks Michelle
At 9:25AM on 25 April 2011, John Smarge wrote:Emily: On April 5-6 an ad hoc RI "Digital Media" Committee met in Evanston for the first time to discuss Rotary's future regarding in the clouds communication. Stay tuned!!!
At 9:24AM on 25 April 2011, rotr. james abandy wrote:its nice..keep up the good work
At 9:22AM on 25 April 2011, Vishal Gupta wrote:Our Club Siliguri Green is the yougest club in RI Dist: 3240, average is around 32! Young bunch of Rotarians have a long way to go.
At 2:12PM on 22 April 2011, CHRIS TUBLER wrote:Yucca Valley Sunset, California had one of the youngest Presidents at age 22. We meet in the evenings and enjoy cocktails and fellowship that sometimes goes way beyond the meeting.
At 1:00PM on 22 April 2011, Emily Francona wrote:With the continued ageing of club memberships, club leaders simply cannot afford to ignore the powerful outreach potential of social media. Any club that does not use at least one of them (arguably FaceBook is the most popular at the moment), is not seriously dedicated to attracting and keeping newer and younger members.
At 3:15PM on 21 April 2011, Carol Dois Woodward wrote:Way to go! I love the new, hip, with it and cool ideas of the New Generations folk. Nice compliment to the experience and open mindedness of us more mature Rotarians.
