“Serve to Change Lives” and “Imagine Rotary”.
Those were the Rotary themes while I was (and am) an active officer for my Rotaract Club. Immediate Past President Shekhar Mehta revealed “Serve to Change Lives” in 2021—encouraging members to empower individuals through more service projects. President Jennifer Jones wanted us to “Imagine Rotary” for RY 2022-2023, so she urged Rotarians and Rotaractors to build meaningful connections. Our club integrated these themes, logos, and color palettes into all our publication materials. Speeches during major Rotaract and Rotary events were all centered around the presidential Rotary themes. After being exposed to them so often, you may think I understood their significance.
I don’t. Or rather, I didn’t.
In RY 2021-2022, the Rotaract Club of Cebu Fuente – University of San Carlos (RACCF-USC) organized several service projects. Among many of them, two of the most notable ones are: (1) Islandspiration, where we donated hygiene and educational kits to beneficiaries in both Cebu and Bien Unido, Bohol; and (2) MODAGAYDAY Water Donation Drive, where we partnered with several Rotaract Clubs and USC Student Organizations to deliver water to the victims affected by Super Typhoon Odette.
From left to right: (1) Islandspiration in Bien Unido, Bohol with Rotaractors and recipients of hygiene-educational kits and (2) beneficiaries of MODAGAYDAY: A Water Donation Drive in St. Arnold Janssen Village, Lapu-Lapu City
And in the first half of RY 2022-2023, RACCF-USC did not only continue the momentum it set in the previous year but also organized more fellowships. We joined events like Gabii Sa Kabilin (A Night of Heritage), where participating Cebu museums are open for one night; we celebrated our culture together by flocking to various historical landmarks. Sometimes, our fellowships are just as simple as having a meal together after a project turnover or sipping coffee in a café and discussing Rotaract matters.
Rotaractors from RACCF-USC at an ancestral house participating in ‘A Night of Heritage’
Then it dawned on me. Because we served to change lives, we implemented projects that we hoped would benefit the common good in our local communities. Because we imagined Rotary, we sought more individuals to join Rotaract and strived to include all our members and officers in our projects or fellowships. What a presidential theme is, is about unifying. It is about a sense of belonging and identity for all Rotarians and Rotaractors. It is a guide to navigating the current society’s climate through the Rotary way.
And so, after all that exposition, how exactly do I envision Rotary and Rotaract for the future? By making my own presidential Rotary theme!
“Create Small Ripples of Kindness”
Truthfully, each of us may rarely have the opportunity to create positive change on a national or international scale. Even if Rotary and Rotaract is a large organization, it is complex. Rotarians and Rotaractors reside in locations all over the world, and each one has a different cultural context or environment. It is difficult to hold one unanimous project for every Rotarian or Rotaractor to participate in, but thankfully, we do not need to.
Small acts of kindness—like a service project for 20 beneficiaries or an intimate get-together with all your club Rotaractors—do not diminish in significance because of their size. Already, you have helped 20 people to live better lives. Already, you have made friendships with Rotaractors you see regularly. These small ripples made of kind acts become big waves that forever leaves a lasting positive impression on the people around you. That is how I imagine Rotary and Rotaract–to not simply make a large impact, rather a meaningful one.
