I hope that some of you reading this will have seen my previous articles about Paphos Aphrodite Rotary Club and the Rotary movement in general. But in this I will recap information about Rotary and hope that it will inspire some people to become involved. Why? Because our membership has been hit by age, returns to UK, the economic situation, Covid and many other factors. So, to misquote Lord Kitchener, Our Club needs You!
What is Rotary?
It is a worldwide organisation with over 1.2 million.members, organised in regions but firmly based on individual clubs, serving their communities as well as contributing to regional and worldwide initiatives. Key facts are that Rotary welcomes anyone without reference to race, religion, gender etc. Its motto is Service Above Self, emphasising the desire and ability to contribute to the welfare of all. It is a great way to get to know people, with lively social events as well as all the serious stuff.
In the 21st century the cult of individualism has grown. People do not ‘join’ clubs and other groups as much as in the past. Rotarians regret this as we believe there is power in coming together to pursue common goals. Many charitable organisations in Paphos would be poorer without our club (our two current charities are Friends Hospice and Margarita Lasidou).
What is involved and what does it cost?
Our club meets 3 times a. month- a planning meeting, a meeting with an interesting speaker and a Fellowship evening, usually a meal in a local restaurant. The annual fees are €250, some of which goes directly to Rotary international to support large projects like the elimination of Polio and some of which goes into club funds for our charities and to pay expenses.
So there is a cost involved in terms of time and money but trust me when I say it is time and money well spent and that both members and the community get a lot out of it.
What does the club do?
Simple answer – too much to mention here. But I can pick out a couple of examples. Last month we staged a Rock concert in Tala which gave many people pleasure and raised a good amount of money. In December we will be running our annual Gluhwein (mulled wine) stall near Christmas, again raising charity funds. See the picture above.
What do you do if you are interested in joining us?
We would love to meet you and tell you more. So if you are interested just mail me at [email protected] and I will get back to you.
Be a part of something amazing. You won’t regret it.
