Rotary Recreational and Vocational Fellowships
- Expanding Your Rotary World
Do you like genealogy? Music? Fishing? So do thousands of your fellow
Rotarians in other countries. Approximately 40 recreational fellowships,
focusing on activities from amateur radio to yachting, attract an ever-growing
membership. You, too, can get together with fellow Rotarians worldwide who share
your hobby.
Is your profession banking? Medicine? International trade? Take advantage of
Rotary membership to belong to an international professional organization with
global contacts. Join one of the dozens of fellowships that bring together
Rotarians from countries around the world.
Find out more about the fellowship right for you by using the
form on the Rotary International website.
Whether recreational or vocational, Rotary Fellowships unite Rotarians in
friendship and service, the exchange of ideas, and the pursuit of international
understanding.
Put yourself in the picture: You could be caravanning with fellow Rotarians
to the Rotary International Convention, scuba diving with fellowship companions
at coral reefs in the Pacific Ocean, learning from fellow lawyers or travel
agents in other countries how they practice their professions, or calling on a
fellow doctor to provide short-term service in a refugee camp.
The opportunities for fun, fellowship, and service are legion.
- Opportunities for Service
Opportunities for service Recreational fellowships traditionally have used
their hobbies to serve others:
The Skiing fellowship donates profits from ski events to an organization that
supports skiing for the disabled.
The Flying Rotarians ferry medical personnel and supplies.
The Canoeing Rotarians organize cleanups of polluted rivers.
For vocational fellowships, too, service has been a primary focus:
The Ophthalmology fellowship organized a conference on eye surgery and
prevention of blindness in developing countries.
The Conflict Resolution fellowship helped to send a noted jurist to Northern
Ireland to assist in regional mediation talks.
The International Trade fellowship helped Rotarians respond to a disaster in
the Philippines, assisting entry into the country of donated medical supplies
and drugs.
With their international links, fellowships can provide unique service to the
global community. Their projects strengthen not only their own fellowships, but
the image of Rotary worldwide.
Opportunities for fellowship Each fellowship has a forum through which
members interact. Every fellowship sends a newsletter to members at least once a
year. But other means of encounter differ widely, reflecting the nature of each
fellowship:
Computer Users communicate with each other on-line;
Amateur Radio enthusiasts take to the airwaves;
and Rotary Pin and License Plate collectors spot each other everywhere.
Some of the best fellowship opportunities occur when members meet
face-to-face. Among the most convivial are the mobile fellowships, such as
Motorcycling, which plans dozens of rallies every year.
Adding zest to fellowship, the Golf fellowship holds an annual tournament,
rotating it among the regions, allowing an ever-growing membership to meet and
compete.
Although members keep active all year long, fellowships truly come into their
own at Rotary's International Convention. With Rotarians gathered from all parts
of the globe, many fellowships take the opportunity to hold their annual
meeting. At their colorful booths and displays at the International Convention,
they invite other Rotarians to learn about and join their fellowships.
Whatever your vocation or avocation, you are likely to find a fellowship to
match it. And if you do not find a fellowship that sparks your interest, you
might want to start one.
Membership in the fellowships is open to all Rotarians. But whether joining
or starting a fellowship, keep in mind membership obligations as well as
advantages. Fellowships must satisfy criteria for recognition by Rotary
International, including:
a valid purpose stated in a constitution or bylaws; the publication of a
newsletter or other forum; membership drawn from three or more countries. Most
fellowships require minimal dues to defray expenses.
- Finding out more
Rotarians interested in joining a Fellowship should go
HERE. Or contact the fellowship directly. Many fellowships have their own
Web sites.
To form a new fellowship, contact World Headquarters, which maintains a
database of Rotarians interested in various activities.
For further information, contact the Intercultural Programs section staff, RI
World Headquarters, One Rotary Center, 1560 Sherman Avenue, Evanston, Illinois
60201 USA.
Copyright
2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 Rotary Club of Jersey City