THIS IS THE ROTARACT PRAYER
Inspire Rotaractors Lord we ask
To live as we Profess
To dignify our daily task and
Serve in Selflessness
For fellowship which here we share
We offer thanks to thee
We pray that it will be our care
To spread it bounteously
THIS IS THE ROTARACT GRACE
Oh lord and giver of all good We thank thee for our daily food May Rotaract friends and Rotaract ways
Help us to serve thee all our days...
ALL ABOUT ROTARACT
Rotaract clubs bring together people ages 18 and older to exchange ideas with leaders in the
community, develop leadership and pnprofessional skills, and have fun through service. In communities
worldwide, Rotary and Rotaract members work side by side to take action through service.
Rotary International is a humanitarian service organization which brings together business and
professional leaders in order to provide community service, promote integrity, and advance goodwill,
peace, and understanding in the world. It is a non-political and non-religious organization. Membership
is by invitation and based on various social factors. There are over 46,000 member clubs worldwide,
with a membership of 1.4 million individuals, known as Rotarians.
WHAT’S INVOLVED?
Rotaract members decide how to organize and run their clubs, manage their own funds, and plan and
carry out activities and service projects. Rotary club sponsors offer guidance and support and work with
your club as partners in service.
Rotaract clubs bring together people ages 18 and older to exchange ideas with leaders in the
community, develop leadership and professional skills, and have fun through service.
In communities worldwide, Rotary and Rotaract members work side by side to take action through
service. From big cities to rural villages, Rotaract is changing communities like yours.
The idea for Rotaract emerged in the mid-1960s, building on the success of Interact, Rotary’s service
program for young people, which was founded in 1962.
Rotary members were looking for a way to promote Rotary to college students and other young adults
who were over the Interact age limit. The answer was Rotaract: a service program for men and women
ages 17-25 that would be sponsored by local Rotary clubs. (The age requirement later changed.)
The idea became reality in January 1968 when Rotary approved the Rotaract proposal. Members of the
Rotary Club of Charlotte-North, North Carolina, USA, had worked with local university students, and they
seized the opportunity to sponsor a Rotaract club. The first Rotaract club was certified by Rotary on 13
March 1968 at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
In the weeks that followed, more Rotaract clubs were started in the United States, Mexico, Italy, and
India. About a year later, Rotaract boasted more than 200 clubs in over 25 countries and geographic
areas.
Early in its second year, Rotaract was featured in a special presentation at the 1969 Rotary International
Convention. In a mock courtroom trial designed to explore the question “Is Rotary serving the needs of
youth today?” George Lee acted as a witness, giving testimony based on his personal experience as a
member of a Rotaract club in the Philippines.
Lee explained to the mock jury that Rotaract clubs serve the community and promote international
understanding and goodwill. And that they work with Rotary clubs, but they plan and finance their own
service activities. (This remains true of Rotaract today.) Lee’s club was working to reduce juvenile
delinquency by mentoring local students at risk of dropping out of school. The club members also
corresponded with Rotaract members in India, which fostered an international friendship. Rotaract, Lee
felt, was accomplishing something worthwhile by providing young people with the experience and
training to become leaders.
Today, Rotaract clubs bring together young professionals and students who are committed to service
and leadership in their communities and abroad.
TOP 10 REASONS TO JOIN A ROTARACT CLUB
Professional Networking
A founding principle of Rotary was to meet periodically to enjoy camaraderie and enlarge one’s circle of
business, community and professional acquaintances. As the oldest service club in the world, Rotary
club members represent a cross-section of the community’s owners, executives, managers, political
leaders, and professionals – People who make decisions and influence policy.
Service Opportunities
Club members have many opportunities for humanitarian service, both locally and internationally.
Service programs address such concerns as health care, hunger, poverty, illiteracy, and the environment.
Rotarians experience the fulfillment that comes from giving back to the community.
International Awareness
With more than 34,000 clubs in over 200 countries & geographical areas, Rotarians gain an
understanding of humanitarian issues through international service projects and exchange programs.
One of Rotary’s highest objectives is to build goodwill and peace throughout the world.
Friendship
Rotary was founded on fellowship, an ideal that remains a major attraction of membership today. Club
members enjoy the camaraderie with like-minded professionals, and club projects offer additional
opportunities to develop enduring friendships. Rotary club members who travel have friendly contacts
in almost every city in the world.
Good Citizenship
Weekly Rotary club programs keep members informed about what is taking place in the community,
nation, and world and motivated to make a difference.
Youth and Family
Rotary sponsors one of the world’s largest youth exchange, educational exchange, and scholarship
programs. Rotary clubs provide innovative training opportunities and mentoring for young leaders and
involve family members in a wide range of social and service activities.
Entertainment
Social activities give Rotarians a chance to let loose and have fun. Every Rotary club and district hosts
parties and social activities that offer diversions from today’s demanding professional and personal
schedules. Conferences, conventions, assemblies, and social events provide entertainment as well as
Rotary information, education, and service.
Ethical Environment
Encouraging high ethical standards in one’s profession and respect for all worthy vocations has been a
hallmark of Rotary from its earliest days. In their business and professional lives, Rotarians abide by The
Four-Way Test: Of the things we think, say or do:
1) Is it the TRUTH?
2) Is it FAIR to all concerned?
3) Will it BUILD GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?
4) Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?
Leadership Development
Rotary is an organization of successful professionals. Team building, fundraising, public speaking,
planning, organization, and communication are just a sampling of the leadership skills that club
members can exercise and enhance. Being a Rotary leader provides further experience in learning how
to motivate, inspire, and guide others. Members can participate in the three day Rotary Leadership
Institute courses offered at various times during the year.
Rotary’s classification system ensures that a club’s membership represents a variety of the community’s
professional men and women, including leaders in business, industry, the arts, government, sports, the
military, and religion. Rotary clubs are non-political, nonreligious, and open to all cultures, races, and
creeds
Rotaract club provides professional development opportunities to its members through activities such
as:
Special professional and vocational forums.
Business technology updates.
Management and marketing seminars.
Business and professional ethics conferences.
Presentations on finance and credit options for business start-ups.
In Rotaract our logo is FELLOWSHIP THROUGH SERVICE. and that is also our greetings
When someone says fellowship you respond Through service
Rotaract facts and firsts:
The name “Rotaract” is a blend of the words “Rotary” and “action.”
The unofficial Rotaract motto is Fellowship Through Service.
Interota is the only Board-recognized triennial Rotaract conference. It’s been hosted in various cities
worldwide every three years since the first one in Vanderbijlpark, South Africa, in 1981.
The first Rotaract Preconvention was held in conjunction with the 1989 Rotary International Convention
in Seoul, Korea.
World Rotaract Week was first observed in March 1993.
Rotary’s 2016 Council on Legislation gave Rotary clubs greater flexibility in the types of membership
they offer, including allowing dual membership in Rotary and Rotaract clubs.
Rotary’s 2019 Council on Legislation amended the RI Constitution to recognize Rotaract as a
membership type in Rotary. Read more.
Rotaract slogan is fellowship respond We serve or and in fellowship response we serve
