Sonora Sunrise Rotary club members Walt Kruse, Jerry Kahl
and Del Hodges put the finishing touches on the bus shelter built by club members for Interfaith Services. |
Sonora Sunrise Rotary Club President Sally Dunn and Sonora HS Athletic Director Rick Francis
With the assistance of a District Simplified Grant, from Rotary District 5220, Sonora Sunrise Rotary purchased a defibrillator for the Sonora High School Athletic Department. |
SFRC Christmas Party
SFRC is a care home for developmentally disabled adults.At Christmas, we host a full turkey dinner for the SFRC residents and club members which includes a visit from Santa with specially chosen gifts for each SFRC resident.
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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 the
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 back to the
community. Service lies at the heart of the Rotary movement.
After all, Community Service is one of
the Four Avenues of Service. Every Rotary club and every Rotarian assumes 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, they also promote
Rotary's positive image. Service defines Rotary's character; whether local or international, it
promotes Rotary's appeal and visibility in the community, and is the reason Rotary continues to grow.
What makes a community service effort effective? Relevance.
A community service project must address a real, current community concern or issue. 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 problems. Community service responds
to the needs of a local community. Rotary clubs should determine top priorities for service projects
by first learning about a community's needs and assets, and then developing a response that addresses them.
The primary challenge in selecting a project involves ensuring that
a project has relevance to the community and serves as a learning experience for Rotarians. For these
reasons, the best project isn't necessarily the most elaborate or expensive. A club must identify its role
in the community and determine what segment of the community it can help with the resources at hand.
Follow the guidelines below to create an effective community service project.
An effective service project:
- Responds to a real issue, not an imagined one.
- Improves the lives of community members.
- Incorporates the abilities of those who are served.
- Recognizes all participants' contributions as important and necessary.
- Comes from a realistic assessment of resources available.
- Aims for specific goals and objectives with measurable results.
- Builds a working network
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