Rotaract News

This month in Rotary -- Rotaract celebrates its anniversary

In the late 1960s, noting the success of the recently formed Interact program, the RI Board realized the need for a program of service, activity, and fellowship for young adults no longer of Interact age (14-18). The name Rotaract (Rotary in Action) was selected to show the program's close affiliation with both Rotary and Interact clubs.

RI President Luther Hodges inaugurated Rotaract in 1968, with the Rotaract Club of University of North Carolina-Charlotte, USA, being the first club. The club received its charter on 13 March and had 21 members.

Within a day of the certification of the Rotaract Club of the University of North Carolina-Charlotte, the Rotaract Club of the University of La Salle was chartered in Tacubaya, Mexico. The Rotaract clubs of Florence, Italy; Gaston College and Sylva, both in North Carolina; and Secunderabad, India, were all certified in the following weeks. Since the 1950s, many Rotary clubs had been starting unofficial clubs for young adults, so this fueled Rotaract’s rapid growth in its first few years. Rotaract grew from 21 clubs in 1967-68 to 289 clubs a year later. There are now 7,000 Rotaract clubs in 163 countries and geographic areas.

Rotaract clubs were originally open to young men and women ages 17-24. Since 1971, young adults ages 18-30 have been welcomed.

For Rotaract, life begins at 40

It was 40 years ago this month that the first Rotaract club was chartered. During World Rotaract Week, 10-16 March, Rotaractors and their Rotarian sponsors can conduct joint activities and be recognized by RI President Wilf Wilkinson.

Here are a few recent projects carried out by Rotaractors around the world:

• The Rotaract Club of Berkeley, California, USA, hosts an annual “bone marrow-thon” registration for potential bone marrow donors, in cooperation with the Rotary Club of Berkeley. Every year, hundreds of UC-Berkeley students register by providing a cheek swab.
• Rotaractors in Alexandria, Egypt, started the Beautiful Minds project to provide income-generating materials to 28 underprivileged families with mentally challenged children. They’re also working to raise awareness of mental disabilities in the community.
• The Rotaract Club of Chicago partnered with the Rotaract Club of Panama to provide the village of Bajo Bonito with a 3,000-gallon water tank and service connections to village households. The Chicago Rotaractors traveled to Panama to work with local Rotaractors on the project.
• For the last three years, Rotaractors at the University of New South Wales, Australia, have traveled to different locales in Asia and the Pacific to build Habitat for Humanity homes.