By Ellina Kushnir, Rotary Service staff
This post is part of the ‘Making the Most of Your Membership’ series celebrating Rotary Membership and Club Development Month throughout August.
With more than 1.2 million members, the Rotary network extends beyond our clubs and districts. As community leaders, our personal relationships and club connections can greatly enhance our impact locally and internationally.
Relationships with local businesses, corporations, organizations, and government entities help broaden our reach and maximize the good we do in the world. Rotary’s service and project partners provide access to resources that help you start or expand a service initiative in cooperation with experts and experienced professionals:
- Clubs partner with YSA (Youth Service America) to engage and support young people, ages 5-25, as partners in solving world problems by addressing: environmental degradation, childhood obesity, hunger, illiteracy, animal welfare, water scarcity, human rights, and communicable diseases.
- ShelterBox provides emergency shelter and humanitarian aid to families affected by disasters. Experienced in disaster relief, ShelterBox works with clubs on all aspects of emergency shelter response, from identifying the most vulnerable communities to relief logistics and the provision of temporary transitional housing and beyond.
- Peace Corps trains and sends Peace Corps Volunteers (PCV) abroad to tackle the most pressing needs around the world, while promoting international understanding. PCVs live and work alongside the people they support to create sustainable change that lives on long after their service. A Peace Corps Volunteer offers access to local contacts, expertise, community development insights, and funding within a particular community. Clubs partner with PCV to enhance project reach, impact, and sustainability.
- With more than 140 members, the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness provides access to resources including eye health professionals, eye research and teaching institutes and corporations. Clubs cooperate with IAPB to design and implement projects that improve access to quality eye care services.
- Habitat for Humanity helps families gain strength, stability and self-reliance through safe shelter and access to clean water. Clubs work with Habitat affiliates and communities to design and provide long-term housing to families most in need of shelter.
- The Global FoodBanking Network works with clubs to increase food security and alleviate hunger and malnutrition by establishing food banks in regions without access to healthy, nutritious food products.
- Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library provides opportunities for Rotary clubs to conduct early childhood literacy projects through Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.
Collaborating with like-minded groups, you can make a more successful impact and create stronger service projects. Contact a service or project partner to discuss partnership opportunities in your community.
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Related:
Service in Action 
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