Page 4 - 2019-07-Rotary-on-the-Move-Newsletter-Zone-8

‘FROM ROTARACT TO ROTARY IN 25 YEARS’

Article by Mike Baudinette

Like thousands of others my age, I was fortunate to have some wonderful experiences because of Rotary when I was
young. I was part of a Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) program, a Group Study Exchange recipient and a
Rotaractor. In Rotaract I helped re-form a dormant club, served as VP and President, made lifelong friends and met
Leanne. Leanne and I married while still Rotaractors in a time when many of our Rotaract friends were getting
married.

But like almost all Rotaractors (and sadly many other beneficiaries of Rotary programs) I didn’t transition
seamlessly into a lifelong membership of Rotary.

In part it was due to frequent moves (to some pretty remote
locations) with my career, in part due to the demands of a young
family and in no small part due to the barriers some of the Rotary
rules and rituals placed on making that transition.

So how and why am I so gladly in Rotary now, well it is a
combination of changes in my life and changes in Rotary.

We are now not relocating frequently and our children are now
adults.

My daughter became active in Rotaract rekindling my fond
memories of Rotary and Rotaract at the same time a friend (who
happened to be the president of Morisset Rotary) began suggesting
I come along to working bees and have a fresh look at Rotary.

What I found was a club that has men and women of all ages and
backgrounds, a club whose membership more closely resembles
the community it serves than the all-male clubs of a couple of
decades ago.
What I found was a club that had let go of classifications, stringent
attendance standards and many of the more formal meeting
procedures and thus created greater access, inclusivity, diversity
and acceptance without diluting any of the important Rotary
fundamentals, values or avenues of service. Mike’s induction

And maybe this turns things upside down for me.
For in the 1980-90s Rotaract was thought of as “Rotary for young people”, well my new Rotary club actually feels
like a Rotaract Club for older people. And that feels great!

I wonder how many other former Rotaractors, GSE or Student Exchange recipients would find that they would like
to be part of a new modern, inclusive, diverse Rotary club if they were invited to come and have another look?

‘ON TO HONOLULU’

From Rotary Weekly, June 2019

Having Captured the Moment at the 2019 Rotary
International Convention, attendees are leaving
Hamburg, Germany, with their eyes on the sandy beaches
and natural beauty of Honolulu, Hawaii. The family of
Rotary is invited to find and share their aloha while
connecting with people of action from all over the world
at the 2020 Rotary Convention. A reduced registration fee
is in effect for those who register by 15 December. See
highlights of this year’s convention and register for the

next. LEARN MORE

Rotary on the Move June 2019 Page 4