Rotary Club of York Vikings

Becoming a Rotarian

Benefits of Rotary

How it operates

Members and meetings

Object of Rotary

RIBI

Service at home & abroad

The Rotary Foundation

What is Rotary?

What we do

When do we meet

Young Rotary

Click on chosen topic

About Rotary.  What we do at York Vikings

Each Rotary club operates independently within a common constitution. Membership is drawn from the business and professional community. To ensure the club represents the community there are limitations on membership from each profession or type of business.

An association of some 30,000 autonomous clubs in more than 160 countries, Rotary International is one of the world's largest service organisations. The goal for a club's membership is an up-to-date and progressive representation of the community's business, vocational, and professional interests.

An important distinction between Rotary and other organisations is that membership in Rotary is by invitation. Rotary clubs invite individuals to join and become members.

Membership is vital to a Rotary club's operations and community service activities. A primary goal of the club is to continually expand the club with committed members who have the interest and ability to get involved in service and humanitarian projects. Prospective members must:

• hold — or be retired from — a professional, proprietary, executive, or managerial position;

• have the capacity to meet the club's weekly attendance or community project participation requirements;

• live or work within the locality of the club or the surrounding area.

The membership process
Often a person being considered for membership is invited by a member/sponsor to attend one or more club meetings to learn more about Rotary. The sponsor may then submit the name of the candidate to the club's membership committee.

An individual who is interested in membership but doesn't know any Rotarians can contact the local club directly. Some Rotary clubs maintain an office and may be listed in your telephone directory. Other resources include a Rotary club in an adjoining community, the local chamber of commerce, the public library, or other non-profit service organisations.

Classifications: professional representation
Rotary uses a classification system to establish and maintain a vibrant cross-section or representation of the community's business, vocational, and professional interests among members and to develop a pool of resources and expertise to successfully implement service projects. This system is based on the founders' paradigm of choosing cross-representation of each business, profession, and institution within a community.

A classification describes either the principal business or the professional service of the organisation that the Rotarian works for or the Rotarian's own activity within the organisation. Some examples of classifications include: teachers, dentists, banking, accountants, retail, marketing, printing, internet and manufacturing

Rotary membership provides the opportunity to:

• become connected to your community;
• work with others in addressing community needs;
• interact with other professionals in your community; assist with RI's international humanitarian service efforts;
• establish contacts with an international network of professionals;
• develop leadership skills;
• involve family in promoting service efforts.
• regular fellowship.
• new circle of friends literally worldwide, who will always make you welcome.
• personal satisfaction.

Registered Charity Number 1078432

The Rotary Club of York Vikings was founded in 1977,  chartered in 1978 and is part of Rotary International.  RI is a worldwide association of business and professional men and women dedicated to high ethical standards in business; the ideal of service in personal, business and community life and the advancement of international understanding and world peace.

The Club has 52 members who meet weekly for dinner and undertake personal service in the community as well as fundraising to enable it to support worthwhile projects both locally and in the wider community.

Service above self is one of the key driving forces of the Rotary movement. The aims and objectives of Rotary are translated by each club into its own unique approach to Service, reflecting local interests, issues and concerns.

 Service committees are where the work of Rotary gets done, from work in the community to service overseas. Locally, York Vikings has supported nearly  250 charities or individuals over the last 30 years, donating funds totalling in excess of £240,000.

Internationally, we support the global Rotary charities such as PolioPlus, WaterAid and the Jaipur Limb project as well as our own preferred charities such as the Leeds based White Rose Initiative. We help them in their efforts to improve the lives of the elderly, orphaned and less fortunate people of Sigisoara in Rumania.

Of course, nothing can be done without funds being available and a major part of a Rotary Club's efforts are in Fund-Raising. Our main Fund-Raisers are our  Charity Golf Day held in May at the York Golf Club, Strensall and our Christmas collection at the Coppergate Centre.

It is a worldwide organisation of more than 1.2 million business and professional people who are pledged to;

• serve the community, locally, nationally and globally

• promote the highest ethical standards in all areas of working life

• work for peace and goodwill worldwide

How it operates

Rotarians believe that commerce and community are not separate entities but totally inter-dependent.  Through membership of more than 31,000 clubs worldwide they serve their communities by devoting time, energy and skills to a whole range of projects. 

As the biggest organisation of its kind in Great Britain and Ireland, Rotary is uniquely placed to harness the energies of thousands of potential volunteers who want to make a contribution to the community at home or abroad.

Each club must be representative of the local business and professional community, ensuring a proper balance across all sectors.

Fellowship and the exchange of ideas and experience through regular meetings are at the heart of Rotary's activities.  Times of meetings can be flexible - breakfast, lunchtime or  evening.  Meetings are held weekly and members make a commitment to attend 60 per cent of them either at their own club or at other clubs around the world. 

Because it's an international organisation, Rotarians are welcome at clubs throughout the world.  In Great Britain and Ireland alone there are close to 60,000 members in more than 1,800 clubs.

Service at home & abroad

Rotarians place strong emphasis on personal service to the community, and pride themselves on bringing the same degree of professionalism and integrity to their community work as to their occupation.

Through vocational projects they support job development, employment skills, literacy and numeracy training, and a range of work-related activities, as well as many environmental initiatives.

...and abroad

Many members also give community service overseas, particularly in third world countries where their professional skills are in great demand.  Some run eye camps, others are involved in educational and engineering projects - from providing text books for schools, to building water filtration units.

Teachers, engineers, health professionals, technicians and IT specialists bring vital expertise to poorer countries, helping people to help themselves in a spirit of enterprise and self-development.

All this is central to Rotary's commitment to fostering global goodwill and understanding, breaking down prejudice and promoting understanding of other cultures.

The mission of the Rotary Foundation, Rotary's corporate Charity, is to improve world understanding and the prospect of peace by supporting the local, national and international humanitarian, educational and cultural programmes of Rotarians and Rotary clubs throughout the world.

The Rotary Foundation provides funding for a varied portfolio of projects throughout the world.  The various programmes reflect the wish of Rotarians to create a better world.

The most ambitious project for the Rotary Foundation has been the eradication of poliomyelitis.  Working with others in supporting UNICEF and the World Health Organisation to immunise the children of the world against this crippling disease, Rotary International has raised in excess of $400 million.

The Rotary Foundation also provides grants and scholarships to young people, giving them the opportunity not only to study abroad but act as Ambassadors for their own countries in the pursuit of improved international relations.

Rotary International in Great Britain and Ireland, with its own governing body and constitution, is a territorial unit of Rotary International, administering 29 districts in Great Britain and Ireland.  True to the Rotary ideal of international goodwill, it is one of very few organisations with a single district covering the whole of Ireland.

There are two organisations created for young people, two organisations dedicated to service and international understanding.  Though closely associated with Rotary, their clubs are independent and self-governing. 

Interact is designed for anyone aged 14-18 years old and membership is generally found in schools and community youth groups.  Once again the international nature of Rotary offers many opportunities for contact and exchange visits.  Rotaract is for 18 to 30 year olds.  Both are rooted in the Rotary tradition of service to the community and run a range of local, national and international service projects.

The Object of Rotary is to encourage and foster the ideal of service as a basis of worthy enterprise and, in particular, to encourage and foster:

• The development of acquaintance as an opportunity for service.

• High ethical standards in business and professions; the recognition of the worthiness of all useful occupations; and the dignifying of each Rotarian's occupation as an opportunity to serve society.

• The application of the ideal of service in each Rotarian's personal, business and community life.

• The advancement of international understanding, goodwill, and peace through a world fellowship of business and professional persons united in the ideal of service.