I read your article about the YWCA’s difficulties in maintaining membership (“YWCA hit by identity, cash crises; Reorganization, closings on tap,” News, Dec. 22). While it is important to bring attention to the plight facing many service organizations today, I believe that putting Rotary in the same category as YWCA is an incorrect assumption.
At a time when many service organizations are facing membership challenges, Evanston-based Rotary has stood out in bucking the trend and has continued to grow. Since last year, our membership both in the U.S. and abroad has experienced a modest increase.
As Rotary’s spirit of volunteerism has spread worldwide, we’ve been able to establish clubs in Eastern Europe and Muslim countries in the Middle East. So far, we have more than 30,000 Rotary clubs in 164 countries with more than 1.2 million members.
Rotary is doing very well because we focus on concerns that are relevant to the communities we serve.
With its growing membership, Rotary is able to take up even more community service projects, such as hunger, illiteracy, AIDS and the environment, that help change the lives of ordinary people.
Currently Rotary is nearing the end of its quest to eliminate the poliovirus by 2005.
Rotary is dedicated to providing children in South Asia and many parts of Africa with the needed polio vaccinations.
Besides the countless volunteer hours given to this cause, Rotary has contributed a half billion dollars to the effort.
If your readers want to learn more about Rotary, they can visit www.rotary.info.
