Rotary Does Big Things Under the Radar

Every Tuesday at 7:30am, members of the Kensington-Berlin Sunrise Rotary Club have a meeting to plan how they’ll put their motto “Service Above Self” into action and how they’ll put their talents to use for the good of the community. As a result, the Rotary Club is involved in all types of service projects from raising money for the Berlin Food Pantry to helping eradicate the disease of polio worldwide. The Rotary Club is small with only 16 members, but it benefits the community in big ways.

One group that benefits from the efforts of the Rotary Club is Berlin’s FIRST robotics team. FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) has been sponsored by the Rotary Club for several years. The FIRST program is designed to be a “varsity sport for the mind” that combines the excitement of competitive sports with science and technology. FIRST students are required to build a robot in six weeks and then enter their robot in a competition against other teams.

At a recent Rotary meeting, Rotary member Ryan Zelek described exactly how FIRST works and how much it costs. He explained that the program is “on the pricey side” with a total cost of about $25,000 per year. Support from groups like the Rotary Club is essential to keeping the program alive.

“Fundraising has been tough this year,” said Zelek, “but it’s a great program and the kids get a lot out of it.” During Zelek’s presentation, which included a live robot demonstration, the Rotarians asked questions and began strategizing as to how they might help secure even more sponsors and more funding for the program.

The Rotary Club helps local students in other ways as well. Each year, they offer scholarships to two Berlin High students. Rotary Club President Elaine Pavasaris said that while grades are important for the scholarships, community service is the main criteria. “We want to recognize those students who really believe in community service,” she said.

The Club also helps students through a dictionary project, donating hardbound dictionaries to all Berlin third-graders, to Connecticut Children’s Medical Center and to the Klingberg Family Centers.

These are just a few of the items on the Rotary Club’s long list of service projects. With so much to do and since the club is so small, every member is actively involved. “You can’t hide in our club,” said Pavasaris. “If you join, we put you to work. We get you involved in projects. Our participation is very high, because we only have 16 people. We’re like little worker bees with big hearts. That’s what makes our club stand out.”

At Berlin’s Relay For Life, “every member is there participating and taking shifts for the 24 hour period,” said Pavasaris. The same is true for the “Out of the Cold” luncheons held on Sundays during the winter at the Salvation Army in New Britain. Everyone pitches in to prepare, deliver and serve food to people who have fallen on hard times and need to get out of the cold and have a hot meal.

This year, the Club also partnered with Liberty Bank for a holiday food drive. “We donated over $1,600 to the Berlin Food Pantry in November.  That was a new project for us. The need today is so great with the tough economic times,” said Pavasaris.

The Rotary Club’s service projects are not limited to the local community. It’s involved in international projects as well, bringing clean water to poor communities, sending temporary shelter kits to disaster areas, donating money for polio immunizations, and more.

“Because, we’re non-political, we can do amazing things internationally,” said Pavasaris. “There’s so much to Rotary. I’m still learning every day about the things they offer. It’s all about helping one another. Service Above Self, that’s the most important thing I can tell you about Rotary.”

 Links:

Kensington-Berlin Sunrise Rotary Club http://www.kensingtonrotary.org/

Berlin FIRST http://dev.usfirst.berlinwall.org/

US FIRST http://www.usfirst.org/