So, who are we, and what do we do? We ask these questions of ourselves all the time. Rotary International suggests that the activities of a Rotary Club should be clustered around the five Avenues of Service – Youth, International, Community, Club and Vocational.
COMMUNITY SERVICE: These activities encourage every Rotarian to find ways to improve the quality of life for people in their communities and to serve the public interest.
YOUTH SERVICE: These activities recognize the importance of empowering youth and young professionals through leadership development programs.
CLUB SERVICE: These activities are both internal and external to the organization. They focus on Training for our members, including communication; opportunities for club engagement; and outreach and involvement with other Rotary organizations.
INTERNATIONAL SERVICE: These activities exemplify Rotary’s global reach in promoting peace and understanding.
VOCATIONAL SERVICE: These activities call on every Rotarian to work with integrity and contribute their expertise to societal challenges and opportunities.
So how does this impact Bradley-Bourbonnais Rotary?
Community Service, which relates to activities Rotarians undertake to improve the quality of life in their community, is our most active area of service. In the past year, our involvement includes National Night Out, Kankakee County Museum Gallery of Trees, Walk to End Alzheimer’s, Good Shepherd Manor Fall Fest, Butterfly Garden at St. Goerge School, our Annual Shred Event, Mental Health Awareness Events, Jigsaw Puzzle sales, Flannel Fest, Kankakee Symphony, Library Literacy with donation of books, and support for YMCA, KCCSI, Clove Alliance, Northern Illinois Food Bank, Alliance for Smiles, Shelter Box, Drug Court, Uplifted Care Hospice, Project Headspace and Timing, and others.
Youth Services is also important to our Club. Activities include National Night Out, 4-way Test Scholarships and Student Recognition, Butterfly Garden, Halloween Downtown, and Library Literacy. We also pay for two students to attend a three-day Rotary Youth Leadership Assembly (RYLA). We have participated in exchange programs where foreign students attend classes at BBCHS, and local students have an opportunity to attend their junior year of high school overseas.
In International Service, Rotarians strive for the advancement of international goodwill, understanding and peace through a world fellowship of business and professional persons united in the ideal of service. In this area, BBRotary has entered into two Sister-Club agreements, one with Los Mochis, Mexico, and the other with Mortagne au Perche, Normandy, France. We have been involved with grants and implementation of projects for sanitation improvements in Mexico, Peru, India and Africa; construction of schools, libraries, and housing in various South America countries; and financial support for Shelter Box, an international disaster relief agency. We have also hosted foreign exchange students and businesspeople from around the globe.
Vocational Service represents the opportunity that each Rotarian has to represent the dignity and utility of one’s vocation as an opportunity to serve. Rotarians promote and foster high ethical standards in business and professions and promote the recognition of the worthiness of all useful occupations. The essence of the four-way test is practiced in every Rotarians approach to life.
Club Service involves those activities necessary to make the Club function successfully and achieve its goals. BBRotary meets the 2nd, 3rd and 4th Wednesday of each month for lunch, and has a speaker at each meeting keeping our members apprised of local activities and events; we have designed Club logo pins for our members, prepared and distribute an award-winning weekly newsletter, participate in a summer picnic and winter holiday dinner, and are part of the annual National Night Out and Holiday Gallery of Trees. Our fundraising activities include our annual jigsaw puzzle sales, spring household shredding event, fall flannel fest, and community nights at various food establishments.
BBRotary as you can see is a very active and vibrant organization. Come check us out!
