By Solomon Bristow
Rotary is an organization that operates globally to improve conditions of living and to promote peace around the world. Rotaract clubs on college campuses offer a way for students to be involved.
The University of South Florida’s Rotaract club recently returned from its service trip to Ghana, where the students immersed themselves in helping Countryside Children’s Welfare Home (CCWH). Fundraising was important to achieve their goals. In addition to donations from other student groups, a Shark Tank-like panel was held where students presented mission statements and budgets and earned support from area Rotary clubs, including the Rotary Club of FishHawk-Riverview. Members also received funds from a GoFundMe page and a soccer tournament that was hosted by the USF Rotaract members.
The students worked within three primary groups to complete the projects: the library group, the clean water and gardening group and the sexual education group.
The library group cleaned and organized the library and added shelving with the help of a local carpenter. With donations of books by Ghanaian authors, they were able to restock the library. They worked together to clean books from dust, grime and insects and discarded moldy books. The books did not end up in the trash, however, as a principal from a nearby school visited to request the books for their students.
The clean water and gardening group brought seeds and gardening tools and were able to plant potatoes, okra, watermelons, peppers and onions. The sexual education group appeared on local radio and gave presentations for boys and girls groups. One of the highlights was covering the expenses for two children to attend their first year of high school.
“Our group has been personally impacted by experiencing the shared camaraderie and sense of community found within CCWH. This experience has taught us the importance of involving the local community in every step of the process is a keystone part of sustainable practice,” said Rotaract member Joanna Agrinsoni.
USF Rotaract is an active club and is always welcoming new members.
“As long as the student has a BullsConnect account, they can sign up to be a part of their club,” said Barbara Howard, public relations chair for the Rotary Club of FishHawk-Riverview. “They have over 600 student volunteers that do service projects pretty much every day of the week during the fall-to-spring school year.”
For more information on the Rotaract club at USF, please contact Genesis Lewis at gvl@usf.edu or visit https://bullsconnect.usf.edu/rotaract/home/.
