Rotaract
Rotaract is an international program for young men and women ages 18 to 30 who believe they can make a difference. Rotaract Clubs are part of a global effort to bring peace and international understanding to the world. Rotaract Clubs provides an opportunity for young adults to enhance the knowledge and skills that will assist them in personal development, to address the physical and social needs of their communities and to promote better relations between all people worldwide through a framework of friendship and service. Members of the Rotaract Club are called "Rotaractors" who serve with the motto "Fellowship Through Service" which also reflects the aim of the club. Following are the areas, in which we organize projects: Community Service, International Service, Professional Development. and Leadership Development.
The Bearcat Rotaract Club was chartered in Fall, 2003, at McKendree College as a Sunrise vocational service program. The students meet regularly and are involved in both community and international service projects. Seven members attended the Rotaract Pre-Conference at the RI Conference in Chicago in June, 2005 and four attended the USCC Rotaract Conference at UCLA in July, 2006. The Sunrise Club supports them financially and as featured speakers for their meetings.
McKendree's Bearcat Rotaract Club hosted an "Interact with Rotaract Networking Night" on March 26. Thirty high school students from Lebanon, Ill., O'Fallon, Ill., and Belleville participated along with Rotary-sponsored international exchange students from the high schools.
"Among the active
organizations of McKendree College, the Bearcat Rotaract Club stands out for its
interactive happenings with other clubs
of the area," said Bearcat Rotaract Club spokesperson first-year student Bhushan
Shrestha. Shrestha, from Sindhuli, Nepal, is an international
student residing in Lebanon. "Participants in our 'Interact with Rotaract
Networking Night' discussed college education, college life and
life in other countries. International students from Nepal, France, Philippines,
Argentina, Taiwan, South Korea and Germany made the event
really interesting as they tried to teach their languages to each other," said
Shrestha.
The main goal of
the event was to share ideas about community service and fund raising with
different Interact Clubs from the participating
high schools. Lauren Hettenhausen, a McKendree junior from Swansea, Ill.,
chaired the event and club recording secretary Christopher
Andrews, a sophomore from Marine, IL., gave a presentation about club
happenings, ongoing and future projects. "The presentation was followed
by group discussions among the Rotaractors and the Interactors. Representatives
from the various high school clubs shared ideas on their
activities, fund raising and community service plans," said Shrestha.
"The
high school students suggested some innovative ideas for fund raising and we, in
the Bearcat Rotaract Club, look forward to working
with them in the near future," said Shrestha. "The objective of the event was to
facilitate the creative minds of the club members. Interact
with Rotaract Networking Night was successful in doing so."
"Rotaract is a
Rotary-sponsored service club for young men and women ages 18 to 30," said
Martha Eggers, assistant professor of education at
McKendree and a member of the O'Fallon Sunrise Chapter. "The Bearcat Rotaract
Club is sponsored by our Rotary club and we partner with them
for community service projects."