Recreational and Vocational Fellowships

Rotary Recreational and Vocational Fellowships

The internationality of Rotary and the opportunities it presents to participate in service activities and fellowship that cross national boundaries and oceans are considered by most Rotarians to be the major benefits of membership. But today's Rotarians have choices. They can enjoy service and fellowship through meetings and involvement in the humanitarian and educational programs of their clubs, Rotary International and The Rotary Foundation. And they can utilize their own hobby, sporting and career interests to achieve the same goals, through membership in one of the Rotary Recreational and Vocational Fellowships, an official program of Rotary International.

For many years, fellowships were formed by Rotarians who shared only recreational interests. In recent years, however, groups based on vocational interests were initiated. And in 1993, the two types of fellowships were combined into a single Rotary International program, Rotary Recreational and Vocational Fellowships.

Recreational fellowships began in 1947, when Rotarian John G. Barrett, of England, organized a group of other boating enthusiasts. They proudly flew the Rotary emblem from their crafts and called themselves the Yachting Fellowship of Rotarians. It wasn't long before Rotary fleets began springing up around the world. Soon, Rotarian pilots, golfers and amateur radio operators were enjoying similar Rotary Recreational Activities, as they were first called.

It wasn't until Rotary year 1968-1969, however, that these groups caught the official attention of Rotary International when RI President George Togasaki appointed a Recreational Activities committee. The following year, the committee's chairman, Allen Sawyer, past governor of RI District 7910 in Massachusetts, USA, encouraged the expansion of such fellowships by polling Rotarians as to what recreational activities they favored.

New recreational fellowships flourished and grew, but the founder of the flying recreational group, E. Edison Kennell, proposed a name change for the program. He pointed out, as an example, that many Rotarians use airplanes in their businesses, thus piloting a plane isn't always just a hobby. Why not, he suggested, change the name from Rotary Recreational Activities to World Fellowship Activities? The RI Board of Directors agreed. And by 1993, the RI Board had approved more than 40 such fellowships, covering interests ranging from motorcycling, bird watching and wine appreciation, to Egyptology, magic and railroading.

The formation of groups based on vocations rather than hobbies and sports didn't occur until the Board, in 1987-1988, approved a three-year pilot program called International Vocational Contact Groups (IVCG). It was launched at RI's Annual Convention in Seoul in 1989. There, informational meetings were set up in four broad categories: medical/health, education, professions, and trade/business/commercial.

Rotarians accepted this new program with enthusiasm. Fifteen IVCGs were formed in various professions. During the following RI year, three new groups were recognized by the RI Board and six more were in the process of forming. Today, more than 30 fellowships based on vocations have been approved for Rotary accountants, lawyers, doctors, retailers, educators, engineers, sports trainers and others. An even larger number is seeking approval.

From the beginning, a primary objective of the IVCGs--in addition to fellowship and the sharing of vocational information and training--was the creation of an international network of specialists that would generate further opportunities to put their expertise to use in service projects around the world. Educators, accountants, engineers and dentists often have been needed as Rotary Volunteers, and IVCGs have expedited the location of such volunteers.

To ensure the internationality and viability of the Rotary Recreational and Vocational Fellowships, Rotary International developed criteria for groups seeking official status in the program. Among them: Groups must obtain the approval of district governors of Rotary districts in at least three countries; they must have no financial, political or commercial goals; and each fellowship must publish and distribute a newsletter, no less than annually, to all members in good standing.

Service and Fellowship Activities

The Ophthalmology fellowship planned a seminar for organizations worldwide that are concerned with preventing blindness in developing nations, to take place prior to RI's International Convention in Taipei, Taiwan, in 1994. Topics included surgical techniques, problem solving and the organization and operation of eye surgical camps in developing countries.

Sometimes, two or more fellowship groups will combine for an event, such as the "Fly-in, Yacht-in and Drive-in" outing to the San Juan Islands in the state of Washington, USA. Members of the flying, yachting and recreational vehicle fellowships planned the rendezvous and enjoyed enlarging their circles of Rotary friends.

Rotarian Canoeists initiated a Canoe Route Environmental Clean-Up project as the service component of its recreational activities. The first occurred in London, Ontario, Canada, where six and one-half tons of garbage were collected from a 12-mile stretch (about 19 kilometers) of the Thames River.

The Mediation/Arbitration fellowship initiated a project to assist the Rotary Club of Highland Park, Illinois, USA, in beginning a mediation service for the community as an alternative to the courts system. With the help of fellowship members, club members have helped resolve disputes between neighbors over water drainage problems, between landlords and tenants and in other matters.

The fellowship for mountain climbers and hikers completed a challenging climb of Mount Kokthang in the Himalayas, where they placed a Rotary flag at the peak, more than 20,000 feet (6,147 meters). They invited a Rotary Youth Exchange student to accompany them as far as the base camp.

Orphans are gathered from an orphanage in RI District 6990 by members of the Fishing fellowship and treated to a day of fishing on the Atlantic Ocean, where they are given fishing rods and tackle. The group also provides six scholarships annually to Florida, USA's, Wilderness Camp.

Members of the International Trade fellowship used their expertise to provide disaster relief for Manila, Philippines, following the eruption of Mount Pinatubo. A member in the Philippines arranged for the relief through a member in Hawaii, USA. More than three metric tons of donated medical supplies, drugs and medicines were collected in Hawaii and shipped to Manila.

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