Current Projects

 

The Rotary Club's good works are carried out by eight service committees funded by the Seattle Rotary Service Foundation.

 

The service committees have the responsibilities of knowing the needs of the community, evaluating the various programs that address those needs, recommending grants for the most effective programs, and following up to monitor the outcome of those projects.

 

ARTS

The mission of the Arts Committee is to be an advocate for the arts - not only within Rotary, but within our community. Their goals include learning more about the breadth and diversity of local arts through related programs and fellowship events; supporting arts organizations in their educational and outreach initiatives; and gaining an understanding and appreciation of the value of arts organizations to our economic and cultural life.
 
 

BUSINESS MENTORS

Undergraduate student teams provide 400-600 hours of consulting services to minority and women-owned business and small businesses in low- and moderate-income communities. At the University of Washington, 80-90 students and 20-30 Rotary mentors are involved with this program each year. To date, more than 1,200 students and 300 businesses have been through this program, which has generated more than 5,000 new and retained jobs and $65 million in new revenues.

 

COMMUNITY SERVICE

The Community Service Committee promotes community service and creates projects for club members to respond to community needs, particularly for youth, education and the homeless. They typically embark on projects right here in Seattle, where they can “get their hands dirty” and create a direct connection with the community.
 

EDUCATION

This committee provides broad-based support to enhance the education and well being of all youth in our community through three areas of focus: the education of Rotary members, service to the school community, and recognition of students and teachers. With education and youth among the highest service priorities of this club, members have the opportunity to provide leadership and support where it really matters.

 

INTERNATIONAL SERVICE

This committee serves to fulfill Rotary's mission of "advancing international understanding, goodwill, and peace." The committee selects projects that positively impact the health, education, and welfare of less advantaged people in other countries, with a particular emphasis on youth. Members get involved through direct knowledge of the project or by volunteering. Prior focuses have included malaria projects in Zambia, Tanzania, and Uganda; microcredit and water projects in India; demining projects in Vietnam and Lebanon; AIDS orphan support in South Africa and Ethiopia; education/literacy projects in Nepal, Chile, and Hungary; and more than a decade of wide-ranging projects in Russia. 
 

ROTARY BOYS & GIRLS CLUB

Seattle Rotary’s legacy of support for the Rotary Boys and Girls Club continues today. The Rotary Boys and Girls Club Committee offers Seattle Rotary members opportunities to be involved with the club through regular tutoring and mentoring, and special project volunteering.
 

PEACEBUILDERS

The mission of the Peacebuilder Committee is to encourage and empower all members of our communities to exercise mutual respect, understanding, and cooperation; and to advocate both globally and locally for peace and the non-violent resolution of conflict. Their projects include anti-bullying programs for at-risk youth, planting Peace Poles at prominent public installations, and outreach to facilitate greater dialogue and collaboration between law enforcement and ethnically diverse, urban neighborhoods.
 

SUSTAINABILITY

The Sustainability Committee has five primary goals:

  • Educating Rotary members and the public about how and why we should all conserve energy and resources and adopt sustainable solutions.
  • Demonstrating the benefits to ourselves and future generations of a sustainable approach to business and living.
  • Innovating with ideas promoted by our Rotary club to switch to sustainable practices in all Rotary projects.
  • Donating to projects that offsets unavoidable personal carbon emissions.
  • Advocating for the importance of sustainability as the world wrestles with carbon emission reductions and other resource constraints.