Community Service

Once described as the "heartbeat of Rotary," Community Service, the Third Avenue of Service, is a many-pronged effort to improve the quality of life within a municipality. 

From the first Community Service project in 1907, Rotarians have been making substantial and lasting contributions to the communities where they live. 

To a large extent Rotary's reputation is built on the myriad service projects undertaken. Four committees - Human Development, Community Development, Environmental Protection and Partners in Service - function in Community Service.

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. 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. 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.

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.

Some community service projects can benefit from other RI programs, including (clicking on the links will open the RI website): Rotaract, Interact, Rotary Community Corps, Rotary Volunteers, or Youth Exchange.

	World Community Service and Fellowship on a Global Scale (pdf, 16k, new window) ADDED NOV 07, 2004
	Community Service is at the HEART of Rotary Service (pdf, 10k, new window)

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