Why I joined Rotary by Ken Torry

I joined Rotary Club of Lethbridge Sunrise 10 years ago as one of the charter members.

The answer to why I joined is simple. I was asked. I had been a member of Lethbridge Jaycees for about 17 years but had been forced into retirement a number of years before when I reached my 40th birthday. I missed being involved so was receptive to joining. Although I knew about Rotary in general terms I did not have any real understanding of what it stands for or what it does, particularly beyond local projects.

The better question in my case might be why am I still a member after 10 years. At the beginning I was very busy and out of town a lot. Weekly meetings helped because you can miss a few and still stay connected. I think I was a slow starter. Gradually I became more involved. Rotary sort of grows on you and you absorb its depth over a period of time. It takes a while (for me a number of years) to get an idea of all that Rotary itself does and facilitates a local club to do, particularly internationally.

To me the most impressive thing about Rotary is that it is a worldwide organization that provides a structure that allows a local club to connect internationally, to decide the details of its own project, which it can carry out itself and then see or measure the results itself. I want to see us do more of these.

The fellowship is also important to me and Thursday mornings have become part of my weekly routine.