Rotary Club of Basingstoke
Share on..
Home | Join Us for Action, Fun & Friendship + News | What Basingstoke Rotary Does
Rotary in Basingstoke Makes a Difference
What We are About....
Why Rotary?
The Rotary motto is “Service above Self” and this summarises the very essence of the 40+ members who have joined the Rotary Club of Basingstoke and which serves the Basingstoke Community. Members work with different styles but co-ordinate their activities on projects. The club has no paid administrators and every penny donated is spent on good causes.
Rotary operates through the “Power of Many”. Members hail from a wide range of Professions and Trades. They volunteer their time & energy. They give their professional skills and business resources “for free”, and they bring a substantial networking capacity through their professional and private lives to get things achieved. Rotary Business Partners also lend their support to our actions.
Unlike many Charities, Rotary in Basingstoke is not the supporter of just one big cause but of a very wide range of good causes. A few were National Charities like SeeAbility. A few were International Humanitarian Charities like the Amandawe Community Care Centre and Rotary Shelterboxes. The vast majority were local, many of which are small charities or individuals who have real needs but no capacity to generate their own support. On a larger scale, we raised nearly £25k to improve the life of thousands via the local Pelican Cancer Foundation in 2010/11.
Making donations is only one way Rotary provides much needed help. in 2010 the three local clubs raised over £100,000, but not all was simply handed over as cheque donations. Some went to fund the several Youth Development Schemes that were organised (like Young Technologist) and events for the less privileged in our community, like Kids Out and Young Carers.
Under the current age of austerity the need for support to those less privileged in our local community will undoubtedly increase and the focus for Rotary support will continue to change. Rotary clubs are structured into committees which focus and assess the real and changing needs of our community. Speakers from local, national and international charities are provided with a platform at our weekly meetings to demonstrate their work and needs. Several members serve as volunteers for other local charities. This combination and variety of members’ backgrounds, weekly speaker meetings, and our committee structures give Rotary a unique insight into where our support is likely to be most effective.
Basingstoke Rotary organises a wide variety of events, often to raise funds. Where possible we aim for our events to have the winning combinations that provide really good interest and entertainment for those who attend; to provide a platform for our community talented youngsters to demonstrate their talents; Third to raise money.