Come out to Fanshawe Rotaract's last meeting

Header image for Interrobang article CREDIT: KAREN ZENG
Fanshawe and Western University Rotaract clubs did a tree plant in London earlier this fall. This is just one of the many activities they do.

Rotaract International is the world’s biggest community service club in the world, and Fanshawe College has its own chapter.

First-year Police Foundations student Jim Ulusoy, VP Communications for Fanshawe Rotaract, explained just what a Rotary Club does.

“Rotary basically helps people in need,” he said. “The bigger projects that they have are [going] to Haiti, going to other places in the world that need help. It’s like a mission trip.”

But on the municipal scale, Rotary helps its own community.

“They’ll help people in need in their community or if [there are] events they’ll provide support for those events to make it happen,” he said.

The Fanshawe club has helped with CIBC’s Run For The Cure, local tree planting and Habitat for Humanity already so far.

“We have more activities coming up,” he said. “We have a lot of stuff on the go, so it’s hard to keep track of everything.”

After one meeting, the group did a small street clean up.

“Just around Fanshawe we cleaned up the parks and Fleming Drive.”

Ulusoy said he joined the club because he’s seen the affects Rotary has on people first-hand.

“I’ve actually received help from the Rotary,” he said. “I was from Turkey. I came to Canada when I was 10. Back [home], Rotary was more [for] people in the higher class, but here, everyone has the opportunity to help out – they welcome that.”

“That’s why I joined because I received help and I just want to give back to the community.”

Ulusoy says the club has enhanced his college experience so far.

“Socializing with other people,” he said. “Getting to know other people… It helps to have other people to talk to other than people in your program to have fun or to help others.”

He says anyone is welcome to join.

“Anyone that wants to help out the community [or] who’s looking for volunteer work,” he said. “If they want to help the community, but they don’t know how to help, joining our club is one way to do it.”

“We’re really fun,” Ulusoy said. “We do a lot of social activities and we also have a lot of volunteer activities … We have a great team, and we’re looking to socialize, get to know the members and have a support group. Even outside of Rotary. It’s just a great way to connect and interact with others.”

The Rotaract club meets every other Thursday in B1073.

For more information, follow the club’s Twitter handle @FC_Rotaract or visit facebook.com/fanshawerotaract

The club’s last meeting for the calendar year will be on November 27 from 6 to 7 p.m. and will start up again on January 15.