Community Services
We are People of Action
We are people of action, motivated to improve our communities by making a direct and lasting impact through service.
We are problem-solvers, working together to find solutions to local and global challenges.
We promote integrity through our fellowship of business, professional, and local leaders.
Together we transform communities, ourselves, and the future of Rotary in many ways.
With Service Above Self as our principal motto, Rotarians say that their primary reason for joining and staying engaged in Rotary is to make a positive impact in their local and global communities. We find value and joy in being engaged as people of action.
Community Service is our opportunity for Rotary Clubs to identify and respond to community concerns or needs, through projects and activities that improve the quality of life for their residents.
About Community Service
A community, defined in its simplest terms, is a group of people who have something in common. But in real life, it is something far more complex than that. Each member — every individual, group, organization, and business — draws benefits from their community in many different ways.
For a community to thrive, each of its members must honor a commitment to contribute to the well-being of the whole by returning those benefits in kind.
Rotarians recognize the importance of giving time and resources to the community. After all, Community Service is one of the Seven Avenues of Service. Every Rotary club and every Rotarian assume a responsibility to find ways to improve the quality of life for those in their communities and to serve the public interest. When those efforts are effective, they not only contribute to the greater good, but they also promote Rotary’s positive image.
What makes a community service effort effective? Relevance. A community service project should address real, current community concerns or issues. Rotary clubs should start by surveying their communities to find out where help is needed. Once a club has listened to its community, it can begin to envision effective responses to expressed needs.
Community Service pertains to those activities which Rotarians undertake to improve the quality of life in their community. It frequently involves assistance to youth, seniors, veterans, physically and mentally challenged, unhoused, persons experiencing relational poverty, and others who look to Rotary as a source of hope for more opportunity and a better life.