How does Rotary fulfill your need for service and fun?

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Evan Burrell

Evan Burrell

By Evan Burrell, a member of the Rotary Club of Turramurra, New South Wales

I’ve been volunteering with Rotary ever since I was a kid. Well, since I was 18. Originally, I joined for my own selfish reasons. I wanted to meet new people and find a girlfriend. I didn’t join because of some great desire to help change the world. I hadn’t had much experience with that at the time. But I soon realized what a difference I was making.

The fulfillment I get out of Rotary is knowing I have done something to help improve someone else’s life. I think wanting to make a difference in the world is one of the most important virtues a person can develop.

I’m inspired by the people I meet in Rotary, the passion they pour into their roles, and the results they get. These people live, eat, and breathe the culture of the organization. And this is rewarded by the huge amount of goodwill and support that Rotary receives.

It’s also about the fun. “Fun is good,” said Dr. Seuss. So I put my own unique perspective on the Service above Self mantra by trying to inject liveliness in all our club’s volunteering efforts. If we didn’t enjoy our Rotary service, we wouldn’t turn up!

I enjoy making a contribution to my community, and I enjoy the fun I can have in Rotary. It gets me out of my own circle. I meet people from all walks of life, and basically feel like, “It doesn’t matter where you come from, we’re all equal as Rotarians.” Our world today is fast-paced, and it’s easy to forget how important it is to build community and have fun. If everyone in the world made an effort every day to have a positive impact on someone’s life, especially people they don’t know, the world would be a vastly better place.

I guess it’s kind of ingrained in me by now. That’s part of the reason why I joined Rotary and stayed with it for 16 years. How does Rotary fulfill your need for service and fun?

15 thoughts on “How does Rotary fulfill your need for service and fun?”

  1. I like it, and I completely agree with your vision of the life of the Rotary Club. We are together because we love it. Besides, I love it because it gives me a sense of life and the meaning of life as an opportunity to change some things for the better.

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  4. Great insight and so true…having fun makes a huge difference. One of our charter members described our club this way “coming together as strangers…working together as friends” and we use that now as our club motto. We’re a small, tight-knit club where there are NO politics and everyone genuinely likes each other, we consider ourselves very fortunate in that respect. We work hard but try to also make sure there’s a “fun” component to whatever we do. We always thought it important and it clearly is gauging by your article and responses to it. Yours in Rotary!

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  5. Some years ago, the Rotary Club of Haddonfield (District 7640, New Jersey) informally adopted a slogan: “Rotary: Doing good. Having fun doing it.” It works for several reasons: It resonates with Rotarians, partly because It conveys the essence of “service and fellowship” in everyday language. It’s easy to remember. It’s instantly understood by non-Rotarians who hear it for the first time. We don’t claim any rights in this slogan, and invite other clubs and districts to make it their own. Visit our website to see photos of banners: HaddonfieldRotary.org.

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  8. I have visited many local Rotary Clubs. They are punctual, Kind, Courteous and do all the good they can do. I am especially interested in their “End Polio Now” campaign. Being a polio survivor my visit consists of only “Thanking” them for all they are doing to rid polio worldwide. Just a drop in the bucket considering all the other things that they do. You will help to make a difference in many lives. Congratulations on your choice to join. Life is all about making the right choices. You are spot on with this one.

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  9. Pingback: How does Rotary fulfill your need for service and fun? | Warsaw Rotary , Club 3393, District 6540

  10. Evan, I think you are bang on with your reason for deciding to join Rotary. The truth be known, I think many of not most Rotarians who have been around for 20 years or more joined for the same reason, namely making friends and networking in the community (although probably not finding a girl friend since we were all male until the late 80’s). Along the way, we have discovered that service is fun; and that Rotary provides opportunities for service that are second to none. As the old saying goes “Join for fellowship, stay for service”.

    That being said, my local club fulfills my need for Service and Fun by being active in the community and sponsoring a signature project and others activities that not only serve the community, but are fun to produce. We are known as a laid back club, and are frequently asked to organize and staff hospitality rooms at our District conference. Our meetings are boisterous, and some might say rowdy. The Rotarians in my club genuinely like each other.

    Our unofficial motto is “We do serious work, but we try not to take ourselves too seriously”.

    http://www.rotarylawrenceburgtn.org
    http://www.MTDFair.org

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