Chapman University, our newest addition to the University-Based Rotaract system joining CSULB and UCI Rotaract, shows their enthusiasm for service by not only having a list of over 50 names inquiring about Rotaract at the University in just one day, but also by volunteering for a Community Service Project before they are even chartered! As Rotaractors, it is important to plant roots into the system of service, and by so doing, you grow both as a leader and an individual.

Chapman Rotaract president joined Fullerton Rotaract President Kevin Islas, and Rotaract District Governor Anthony Soriano, in volunteering with the city of Fullerton, Foresters and ‘Kaboom!’ in building a park in a single day! From laying down concrete, to potting plants and putting up the playground, the work was seen from start to finish.

Shaylin Johnson had this to say about the service project:

“I would like to say thank you to all of those involved in the Fullerton Ford Park build for letting me participate. In partnering with Foresters and the Boys and Girls club I had the pleasure of meeting some wonderful new people and getting my hands dirty for a good cause. It was great to see everyone out there making such an effort. We were all working toward something much bigger than one individual and through teamwork, perseverance and a very well organized scheduling system we were, amazingly, able to build an entire park in around 5 hours. I very much enjoyed this opportunity and would definitely participate again given the chance.”

Attitude: To develop a strong connection with a Rotary Club, it is important to first recognize what you put into a relationship is what you will get out. We are building a culture of ‘giving’ before ‘receiving.’ This translates into making a point for not only our Board of Directors, but for all members to attend local Rotary Meetings/Events, to cultivate relationships with local and district-wide Rotarians and to learn more about Rotary International.

Action: We encourage our members to attend not only local Long Beach Rotary Club meetings, but many District-wide Rotary meetings as well. We’ve developed a Google Calendar with all local Rotary Club meetings and have published the calendar for our members.

We encourage members to attend local and district-wide Rotary social and volunteer functions. Every month, Long Beach Rotary holds a 5th avenue social at a local venue and we generally round up quite a few of our members to show support. In addition, Rotary does monthly park clean ups we make a point of attending. For all District events (like the recent Rotary Chili / Angel’s Game Cook-Off), we had over 20 Rotaractors attending the Rotary Sponsored event to benefit the End Polio Now Campaign.

At Rotary Meetings and District events, we strongly encourage members to spread out and make a point of meeting and talking with Rotarians – not just our own group. We understand the more we build relationships with others, the more interested Rotarians will be in engaging with us.

For every meeting, we generally send personal invitations to several Rotarians at least 3 – 4 weeks in advance, inviting them to attend our meetings and events. For those who do attend, we make sure we meet and truly thank them for giving their time. We work hard to build and continue to develop relationships with Rotarians who give their time to simply support what we in RLB are doing.

Passion for Action: Fullerton Rotaract puts their relationship with their sponsoring club as a top priority. They bridge the gap by constantly attending Rotary events, including the Cow Boy Ho-Down, which is the clubs’ largest fundraiser for the year. In addition, constant invitations are exchanged between the Rotaract club, and also the Rotary Club as well. Furthermore, their advisor, Ron Gillett, constantly brings in new members and guest Rotarians to attend the meetings and events.

Building Partnerships: As a community based Rotaract Club, it is important for us to develop a working relationship with our Rotarians. The most important aspect of this is the perception of Rotaract. Our goal with being constantly involved with Rotary events is to change the idea of a Rotaract Club from a simple volunteer organization, to an organization that builds future leaders and partners in the community. By working side by side with Rotary, we are able to not only know these individuals by their first names, but also by their occupation, hobbies, and also their keys to success.