Midlands Enterprise Awards 2019

34 | SME NEWS - Midlands Enterprise Awards 2019 As one of the world’s largest and most successful membership and humanitarian service organisations, Rotary has a rich history of changing the lives around the world, but now they are looking to the future. With an exciting new event on the horizon to get people involved with volunteering, there has never been a better time to get involved with Rotary. Rotary’s mission is a simple one. To make a difference in communities around the world. It’s a mission they have been fulfilling since the organisation was founded in 1905 in Chicago, USA. Through membership of their local Rotary group, individuals come together to use their time and talents to give something back to their community, while making meaningful social and professional connections. Today, Rotary is a network of 1.2 million members, in 35,000 Rotary groups in over 200 countries, with over 45,000 members in Great Britain and Ireland, supported by a head office in Warwickshire. As you’d expect from an organisation with such a global reach and over a century of history behind them, the scale of Rotary’s work is huge, spanning from large-scale international campaigns, right through to local projects. The jewel in Rotary’s crown is arguably the pioneering contribution they have made to eradicating polio, a disease which paralyses and even kills children. When Rotary spearheaded the global effort through their End Polio Now campaign more than 30 years ago, there were over 1,000 cases per day in 125 countries. Today, the number of cases is down by 99.9% thanks largely to the advocacy and fundraising efforts of Rotary members - Rotary’s financial contribution stands at $1.6 billion - to vaccinating over 2.5 billion children worldwide. Alongside fighting disease, Rotary’s Areas of Focus include promoting peace, providing clean water, supporting education and promoting community development. Whether on a global or local level, these universal challenges are at the heart of everything the organisation does. “In any area, there are hundreds of Rotary-driven community projects taking place at any one time, and the Midlands is no different.” Amanda Watkin, General Secretary of Rotary in Great Britain and Ireland explained. “Currently, we have a group of Rotary members who are converting an old double decker bus into a mobile shelter and care service for homeless and rough sleepers in Greater Birmingham. Through my own Rotary club, I am involved in volunteering at a Rotary-supported dementia café in my local area. “As an organisation we make a global impact, but the roots we have in our local communities are often our greatest strength. We’re obviously very proud to have our activities recognised by the SME Awards as the Best National Volunteer Service 2019, and this really is testament to the dedication and commitment of all of our members.” Rotary in Great Britain and Ireland Best National Volunteering Service 2019 Looking to the future, Rotary has been going through a period of change as it makes membership more accessible and attractive to today’s working professionals. Over the last 18 months, over 250 new Rotary groups have formed across the country. The vast majority of these have moved away from the ‘traditional’ meeting format the organisation has known, where members get together on a weekly basis, often over a meal, in favour of more flexible approach. “We have family-friendly groups who meet every other Sunday in a coffee shop. We have groups who dedicate their monthly meeting to giving their time on a local project, such as foodbank.” Amanda continued.