Local Stories by Local People
updated: Oct 25, 2008, 12:00 AM

Club Surpasses 1,000 Hours of Volunteering: Rotaract Club Shows Younger Side of Service
Source: SB Rotaract

SANTA BARBARA—The 20-somethings of the Rotaract Club of Santa Barbara have contributed more than 1,000 hours of community service to the local community.

Rotaract's members, young professionals between the ages of 18 and 30, may not have the disposable income to spend on $200 tickets to nonprofit galas, but they're often attending anyway. They're there donating what they do have: time and energy.

A Small Sample of Organizations Helped:

Goleta Valley Beautiful

American Heart Association

Santa Barbara Public Library

Downtown Organization of Santa Barbara

Habitat for Humanity

Stow House and Rancho La Patera, with Rotary Club of Goleta Noontime

El Puente School, with Rotary Club of Santa Barbara Sunrise

Cottage Health System

ResQCats

United Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Barbara County

"You can plant a lot of trees, paint a lot of walls, hammer a lot of nails and help a lot of nonprofits with 1,000 hours," Rotaract President David Vo said.

International projects are the next frontier for the young club, which has already raised enough money to purchase a clean water system for Patzcuaro, Mexico. Members are also working on an ambitious project in partnership with a Rotaract Club in Rwanda to help older orphans learn job skills.

"Rotary is honored to support these enterprising young professionals," local Rotarian Stephen Wheeler said. "Their enthusiasm and desire to be positively involved with a broad range of volunteer projects from Carpinteria to Goleta—and to have fun doing it— takes community service to a new level."

The club also promotes professional development and networking. Its monthly night hikes and social activities are popular among its members.

About the Rotaract Club of Santa Barbara: The Rotaract Club of Santa Barbara is a dynamic group of professionals between the ages of 18 and 30 interested in meeting people and volunteering in the community and internationally.

As part of Rotary International, a global service organization, the Rotaract Club of Santa Barbara has the benefit of affiliation with an established group of local professionals. With the support of the South Coast's eight Rotary Clubs between Carpinteria and Goleta, the club was chartered in March of 2006. It's one of more than 7,500 Rotaract clubs around the world that comprise Rotaract International.

Rotaract has meetings on the first and third Tuesdays of every month at 6:30 p.m. at varying locations, and service and social events are nearly weekly. Annual dues are $20.

www.sbrotaract.com

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