Our stories

Members of the Surfers Unite Rotarian Fellowship are passionate about community, the environment, and surfing. This fellowship allows them to combine all three into an unforgettable experience. 

During the annual Cupid’s Clean Up event, fellowship members remove garbage from waterfronts in their communities. From the beaches of Hawaii to the shorelines of Australia, members invite their friends, families, and clubs to take action to protect their local environment.

The group also collaborates with local organizations to introduce more people to surfing. Since 2017, members in the U.S. state of California have volunteered with the nonprofit Life Rolls On, which uses adaptive surfboards and beach wheelchairs to make surfing more accessible and inclusive.

Social events and volunteer activities are the keys to the group’s success. Not only do they provide opportunities for members to serve and connect, they’re also great ways to show others what Rotary does and to attract younger people. The fellowship is proud that its members include Rotarians, Rotaractors, and Interactors from 36 countries. 

Members of the Rotary Club of Madras Elite, Tamil Nadu, understand the personal, professional, and economic situations of people who are transgender.

As the first club in India made up of members who are trans, the club focuses on raising awareness of the issues that many trans people face, helping those who’ve had to leave their homes, and preventing bullying. Members have hosted online workshops for schoolchildren to ask them to support their peers. They help transgender people secure national ID cards and the documentation necessary to open a bank account, vote, or access government assistance and health care.

The club hopes to showcase portraits of successful members of the trans community, as well as produce a documentary about the challenges trans people may face.

Interact helps people ages 12-18 develop their leadership skills and serve their communities. Interactors have a long history of channeling their enthusiasm and passion for service into projects that make a difference, like these:

• Members of the Interact Club of Penonomé, Panama, along with Rotarians and other volunteers, removed 20 bags of trash from a beach in Río Hato in their home province of Coclé. The coastline is a recreation area and a habitat to several endangered and vulnerable animal species.
• The Interact Club of Metro Mandaue 2006, Philippines, organized a large-scale response after Super Typhoon Odette. Club members used social media to raise awareness about the destruction, contacted nonprofit organizations and corporations for aid and contributions, and worked with Rotarians to host fundraisers and donation efforts. They distributed food, hygiene kits, medicine, and drinking water to more than 1,000 families.
• To raise awareness and reduce bias, the Interact Club of Golden Gate International College, Nepal, organized table tennis matches and invited people with disabilities to participate. They named it Triveni, a reference to the confluence of three holy rivers, because the event united the themes of diversity, equity, and inclusion into one project. They collaborated with the Inclusive Sports Club nonprofit to organize the event, which attracted about 200 people.

Climate change has intensified the Australian bushfire season and increased the risk to residents. Having experienced the devastating impact of these fires, members of the Rotary Club of Taree on Manning, New South Wales, resolved to keep their community prepared.

The club identified four issues to address and worked with the Rotary Club of Windsor-Roseland, Ontario, Canada, as an international sponsor to secure global grant funding for the Bobin and Caparra Bushfire Protection Project.

This project provided the communities of Bobin and Caparra with 100,000-liter (26,400-gallon) tanks and other equipment to ensure that water is readily available. Members used the funds to add a sprinkler system to Bobin’s community center, which is used as an emergency shelter, and to purchase an automated sign that provides accurate and timely information about fire danger levels. The project also funded training by the Rural Fire Service for about 100 local volunteers who learned about bushfire awareness, preparation, and what to do when a fire occurs.