Interested in giving back to your community? Rotary in Mayo wants to hear from you
As the reopening of Irish society gains pace, the new head of Rotary Ireland has urged people to continue to give something back to their communities.
Dave Murray said one of the few positives to emerge from Covid-19 was a newfound sense of community and willingness to support local initiatives.
He says the future must be about fostering community engagement and that one way of doing that is by supporting Rotary Ireland’s wide range of local and global projects.
“The last 18 months has been incredibly challenging and has impacted everyone in our personal and professional lives, but the pandemic has also presented us with an opportunity to take stock and to focus on what’s really important in our lives,” Dave stated.
“Things like taking care of our environment, our communities and of course ourselves. Whether it’s funding equipment for a local school or nursing home, a youth project, the construction of a clinic in Uganda or a water and sanitation project in Kenya, every Rotary project offers participants a chance to give something back.”
In the early 1980s, Rotary International played a key role in the elimination of polio, while more recently and closer to home, Rotary clubs have raised substantial funds for the refurbishment of accommodation units for parents at Crumlin Children's Hospital.
Mr. Murray, from Portmarnock in Dublin, has been a member of Fingal Rotary Club for over 20 years. A former accountant for the office of the Comptroller and Auditor General, he says his priority for the year as District Governor Rotary Ireland is to recruit new members and establish new clubs.
He added that while Rotary volunteers worked hard on their projects, the social aspect was also very important.
“Numerous studies have shown that being involved in community groups and projects is hugely beneficial to people’s mental health and a great way to make new friends. So if you aren’t involved or would like to join an organisation dedicated to making a difference at local, national and international level, our clubs in Mayo would love to hear from you.
“We’re particularly interested in encouraging greater diversity among our membership base, including more women and members of ethnic minorities. At its heart, Rotary is about people from all walks of life and from all over this island coming together to use their experience or resources to help to make somebody else’s life a little bit better.”
Rotary Ireland, is a community driven, humanitarian service organisation with clubs in every county. It currently has 72 clubs on the island with some 1,700 members, and Ireland is just one of 200 countries worldwide with a strong Rotary network; the organisation has a global membership of 1.2 million members.
If you are interested in joining Rotary Ireland or would like to learn more about it, go to www.rotary.ie.