June is dedicated to Rotary Fellowships. Though ‘Rotary Fellowships’ refer to specific types of independent, international, Rotary-affiliated interest groups; this article will talk about fellowship more generally. Fellowship is a key part of Rotary Clubs as both a social and service organization.
Every week, Lake Forest and Lake Bluff Rotarians enjoy breakfast together while learning more about one of their own members and about a topic, usually from an outside speaker. Recent topics have included Life at the South Pole, Akamai – a Fortune 500 Content Delivery and Cybersecurity company, ‘Launder Less’ a Lake Forest High School Business Incubator team, the Dunn Museum, and Reading Power. Gathering and learning together builds relationships.
We hold Social Events throughout the year. We have two big social events every year: a June Installation Dinner and a Holiday Dinner. More social events include a beach party, a golf outing, a bocce ball outing, a fundraising event, and many opportunities to volunteer together. Members are encouraged to come up with new social events. Earlier this year, we had an English tea. We also have a weekly social evening at a local establishment on colder days and in a member’s backyard on warmer days.
Each of our members is encouraged to explore their own interests and some get together outside of Rotary. A few of our members golf together and have even gone to St. Andrews golfing together. A couple of our members take art classes together. A couple of our members play chess and one of them is working on teaching more of us. A couple of our members have taken a sign language class together. Many of us have taken a CPR class together. Whatever interests our members, they are likely to find another member who might be interested too. Interest groups help us stay social.
Rotary collaborates well with others. We have joint volunteer events with other Clubs including the Rotary Club of Highland Park-Highwood, the Rotary Club of Northbrook, the Interact Club of Lake Forest High School (LFHS), The Interact Club of Lake Forest Academy (LFA), the Interact Club of Highland Park High School (HPHS), the local Lions Club, and the local Kiwanis Club. We have strengthened our partnerships with Lake Forest High School, the local school districts, Lake Forest College, Lake Bluff and Lake Forest municipalities, and non-profits including Fill a Heart 4 Kids (FH4K) and Service and Learning Together (SaLT). Earlier this year, we participated in a Rotary Friendship Exchange (RFE) visiting over 10 Rotary Clubs in Sri Lanka and hosting members of five Rotary Clubs from Sri Lanka here in Lake Forest and Lake Bluff.
So what are ‘Rotary Fellowships’ as defined by Rotary International? ‘Rotary Fellowships’ are independent, international, Rotary-affiliated groups of Rotary members and friends designed to explore hobbies and professions while building friendships across borders. At least two of your local Rotary Club members have joined Rotary Fellowships: the International Tennis Fellowship of Rotarians (ITFR) and the International Fellowship of Motorcycling Rotarians (IFMR). Local members haven’t attended yet as events are often on other continents. For a full list of ‘Rotary Fellowships,’ check out rotary.org/en/our-programs/more-fellowships.
If you are interested in learning more about Rotary, please email us at info@lflbrotary.org.