or the past few years, Rotary International has been promoting Reconnect Week as a time to remind Rotary clubs of the value of reaching out and “reconnecting” with alumni of Rotary programs like Interact, Rotaract, scholarships, Rotary Peace Fellowships, youth exchange and other regional programs. But celebrating alumni and making them feel welcome to your club is something you can and should do year-round. Alumni of Rotary make great leaders and innovators and may possess the skills you need for your next service project.

So in that spirit, we collected five events that impressed us during this year’s Reconnect Week in October to encourage you to think of ways you can reconnect with alumni in the new year.

1. District 7020 Alumni Association – Video Conference

District Alumni Chair William Inniss of Cayman Islands has made it a tradition with his district’s alumni association to hold an annual video conference for Reconnect Week. Since his district is made of many islands, travel between them is more difficult for in-person meetings, so this is simply the best way to keep up. During the meeting, members of the alumni association discuss their past experiences and decide how best to partner with local Rotary clubs.

2. Northern Illinois Rotary Alumni Association – Networking Event

Members of the Northern Illinois Rotary Alumni Association, Rotaract Club of Chicago, and Rotarians in the greater Chicago region came together for an evening of networking at One Rotary Center in

• Achieve a net gain of 1 member
• Maintain or improve your club’s retention of current and new members:
  • Improve your club’s retention rate by 1 percentage point or  
  • If your club’s retention rate was 90 percent or more in 2017-18, maintain it
• Achieve a net gain in female members
• Have at least 60 percent of club members report their birth dates through My Rotary
•  

Courtesy of the Community Advocate

The Rotary Club of Westborough recently hosted a clothing drive to benefit Dress for Success. Dress for Success is a nonprofit whose goal is to empower women to achieve economic independence by providing professional attire and a network of support.

Donated clothing is used to prepare women for job interviews. Volunteers work with clients to choose the perfect outfit as well as prepare and support them for the interview. Women leave with professional attire to carry them through once they secure a position.

Westborough Rotarians partnered with the Westborough Public Library and the Boroughs Family Branch YMCA for this event. Both locations served as drop-off sites for the donated clothing.

It took seven cars and SUVs to transport all of the items to Dress for Success office. According to Beth Butler who oversees operations for their Worcester location, the items collected – which included suits, dresses, shoes, coats, boots, belts and handbags – were valued at $22,500.