Alexandria Ritchie (seated under banner), with the
Rotaract Club of John Tyler Community College.

By Alexandria Ritchie, a member of the Rotaract
Club of Virginia Commonwealth University and the
Rotary Club of James River, Richmond, Virginia, USA

Recently, two Rotary friends shared with me the deci-
sion taken by the Council on Legislation to allow Rota-
ractors to also join Rotary. (The Council is where Ro-
tary members gather every three years to discuss chan-
ges to the policies governing our organization.)

So I thought I’d give it a try. I am 21, and now also a
member of the Rotary Club of James River. Let me tell
you a little bit about my experience in Rotary and its
young leaders programs from the perspective of a
brand new young Rotarian.

My path to Rotary
I joined Rotaract after being a member of my high school’s Interact club. I founded a Rotaract chapter
on my campus at John Tyler Community College and
have been a loyal member of Rotaract ever since. It’s
changed my life. I now represent my entire district as
a district Rotaract representative.

How did I make the decision to join a Rotary club?
The answer is simple. My sponsor clubs are amazing.
We are a family and my Rotary journey wouldn’t be as
fulfilling without them.

When I attended the Rotaract Preconvention in Seoul,
Korea, this past May, I realized that we needed a
Rotaract representative on the RI Board. Rotaract
needs a voice — a direct connection to the Rotarians
that do so much good for the organization and for the
world. This idea might be a lot to ask. [Currently, the
RI Bylaws provide for a standing committee, the Rota-
ract and Interact Committee, which includes at least three Rotaractors.] However, I would encourage clubs to give
Rotaract a voice, at the club level, in your districts. This
can set the ball in motion to greater representation in the organization overall.

Beyond sponsorship
If your club has a Rotaract club, do more than just sponsor
them. Invite them to meetings and projects. Really get to
know them. Attend their meetings. Allow the president of the Rotaract Club to serve as a non-voting member on your
club’s board. I have encouraged Rotary members to try this
in my district and it has worked well.

More importantly, invite them to things at the district level.
Let them know they have a part to play in Rotary. Let them
feel the power of our organization. Introduce them to the
district governor, encourage them to attend conferences, seminars, and events with you.

If we do this together, Rotaract will grow. More Rotaractors
will join Rotary which is truly the most important goal a spon-
sor club could have.