September 21, 2011 - 1:29am
Campus Clubs: Student Rotary Chapter
BY SABIRA KHAN
Members of Rotaract — the University’s student chapter of Rotary International — are dedicated to community service near and far.
LSA sophomore Sophie Zhao, the club’s social and publicity chair, described the organization as a service group that helps students network and enhance local and international communities. The group organizes various community service activities, including volunteer work with Habitat for Humanity, local nursing homes and homeless shelters.
The club is also dedicated to international service and annually plans a volunteer trip during spring break, Zhao said.
“We have a lot of local service events throughout the months, and then last year during spring break we organized a trip where we went to Nicaragua to help build water filters because they don’t have clean water there,” she said.
The club’s 50 active members meet biweekly to hear from guest speakers and to plan upcoming ventures, according to Zhao.
LSA senior Louis Albertini, Rotaract’s president, stressed that the club operates on local and international levels.
“Our four pillars — the main tenants of our organization — are community service, fundraising, professional development and international service,” he said.
Albertini added that Rotary International’s involvement helps facilitate Rotaract’s dedication to service by allowing chapters the freedom to choose their own projects.
“We have this incredible relationship with Rotary, so we have the capability and the resources to create our organization based on what our membership wants,” he said.
