STRIVE APR - JUN 2018 | Page 11

Millennials: The New
Service-Minded Superheroes
By Evan Burrell
Odds are you had a favourite superhero as a child. Maybe
it was Superman or Wonder Woman or even Spiderman,
weaving webs and leaping tall buildings in a single bound to
help those in need.
Now that we’re older, we know all too well that superhe-
roes are hard to find unless you go to the local Cineplex. But
there is another place you can find modern-day superheroes:
Your local Rotary Club!
Maybe you have seen the Rotary wheel on a rusty old
signpost at the side of the road as you have driven past. Maybe
your Grandpa was involved in Rotary. Or perhaps you’ve
seen smiling Rotarians doing worthwhile things in your local
community.
What you may not know is that Rotarians are part of the
world’s largest and oldest service organization in the world.
For 113 years, Rotary International has been attracting good
people and equipping them with the skills to be even better.
Rotary superheroes aren’t bulletproof, nor can they leap build-
ings in a single bound. But they are real people helping others
in their local and international communities. And these mod-
ern-day superheros don’t have to hide behind a secret identity!
At one point in time, people may have seen the organiza-
tion as mostly old, mostly male, and mostly white. Admittedly,
Rotarian Marie-Irene Richmond-Ahoua, Cote d’Ivoire PolioPlus
Committee chair, inoculates a child with polio vaccine during a
welcome ceremony kicking off a National Immunization Day in the
village of Messikro, Cote d’Ivoire, 28 April 2013. Find the story in
“The Rotarian,” October 2013, pages 45-51.
Photo by Alyce Henson © Rotary International. All Rights Reserved.
A mother waits with her babies for medical attention and vaccina-
tions at a Rotary-sponsored health clinic in Loga, Niger, 30 March
2006. Find the story in “The Rotarian,” September 2006, pages
47-55.
Photo by Alyce Henson © Rotary International. All Rights Reserved.
•
I have been to the “Rotary Club of Jurassic Park” once or twice
before. But Rotary is closing the door on these old-fashioned
views and embracing the changing culture of the modern
world.
Case in point: Rotary is currently resurging with the
interest of Millennials like me who want to be part of an
organization that is doing things differently when it comes to
helping others. With the influx of Millennials, Rotary clubs
have become more inclusive with its membership and how
they engage with each other and the community.
This diversity gives us the advantage of being able to see
challenges in unique ways. Rotary’s members come not only
from different generations but from different fields and roles.
When we face an issue, we bring a wide range of experiences
to ensure that we get the best answer. We apply leadership,
expertise, and just a few superpowers to find unique solutions
to social issues and create lasting change. We have focused our
efforts in promoting peace, fighting disease, providing clean
water, saving mothers and children, supporting education,
and growing local economies.
Much like our comic book counterparts, Rotary members
are just regular people who go about our daily lives until “the
call comes in.” One of those calls came in more than 30 years
ago when the paralysing and potentially fatal Polio disease
threatened countless numbers of the world’s children. Super
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