The Rotaract Club of Jacksonville’s Beaches, Florida, USA
By Charlie Flynn
When I first walked into a meeting of the Rotaract Club of Jacksonville’s Beaches, I couldn’t have possibly known all the unique and rewarding experiences my involvement would afford me. I had no idea what was in store; the connections I would make, the communities I would serve, and the knowledge I would amass.
At the time, the club consisted of less than 10 people. I admired each and every person in the small group and wanted to get involved. They taught me that groups of all shapes and sizes can make a difference in their local and international community. Since then, the club has seen significant growth and now has a membership of over 80.
Our impact continues to grow as we strive to be the most impactful young professional group in the world through service, professional development, and meaningful relationships.
Beaches Rotaract members work on a project during the video shoot.
Along the way, I’ve had the opportunity to meet with Rotaractors and Rotarians around our city, district, country, and beyond. I love meeting these people, hearing their stories, learning how we can support each other, and reflecting on how closely we’re all aligned in our Service Above Self attitude. My service in Rotaract even allowed me to cross paths with a handful of representatives from Rotary International headquarters. They saw something in our club that reflects the direction that Rotary is headed. They saw diversity, flexibility, and professionalism. They saw future Rotarians.
When RI’s Young Leaders team reached out about filming a video, we were extremely honored. After all, we truly enjoy hanging out and serving together, so this was a really cool opportunity to showcase that. We hopped on a few conference calls, and soon enough the video production team traveled to Jacksonville Beach, Florida where we spent two full days shooting the video. We gave the production team a glimpse into the daily life of a Rotaractor: waking up, going to work, and attending a club meeting or service event. And we had so much fun doing it!
Our Rotaract club couldn’t be more honored for the opportunity to help promote the amazing work Rotaractors are doing around the world and the significant impact Rotaract has had on each of our lives. Thank you, RI, for giving us this platform to share our story and make a difference in our world.
We hope you enjoy the video! If you know someone wanting to get involved, please share it!
https://blog.rotary.org/2019/09/03/lights-camera-rotaract/