Bloomington-Normal’s new collegiate Rotaract chapter is taking the Twin Cities by storm.
The chapter has more than doubled its membership from 25 to 80 students this semester through volunteering, networking, and professional development.
Rotaract is the college version of Rotary, which is an international service organization that works in disease prevention, clean water, education, economic development and conflict resolution.
Rotaract clubs are for young adults ages 18-30, while the high school version, Interact clubs, serves teenagers ages 12-18. All three organizations focus on leadership development and community service.
The younger clubs receive guidance and support from their sponsoring Rotary or Rotaract club.
The BloNo Collegiate Rotaract Chapter is sponsored by Bloomington-Normal Sunrise Rotary and is known on Illinois Wesleyan’s campus as BloNo Rotaract Club.
Their partner Rotary meets weekly to discuss sponsors, service, and hear from a local guest speaker. With more than 80 members, attending Rotary meetings as a student allows members to connect with professionals, businesses, and internships in the community.
Students can meet community leaders through service projects, including Pads For Girls. The project is an initiative started by Rotarian Peggy Hardy to sew reusable pads for girls in Africa.
Its focus is sustainability, with members traveling to other countries to teach girls how to make the pads themselves.
Other projects include volunteering at the Midwest Food Bank to pack meals, fundraising for charities such as Habitat for Humanity of McLean County, and hosting free community events in Bloomington-Normal, such as “Movies at the Mural,” where movies are projected on the wall by the mural next to Red Raccoon Games in downtown Bloomington.
Last semester, Rotaract provided more than 20 hours of service opportunities to IWU students through events including the Baby Fold’s Festival of Trees, collecting more than 600 books for children in need for the West Bloomington Revitalization Project (WBRP), meal packing at Midwest Food Bank, and contributing to Rotary projects.
They also brought in speaker Karen Schmidt to highlight the WBRP and the need for equal access to literature.
Rotaract recently welcomed Jackie Young from the Child Protection Network to discuss how the organization serves as a fundraising umbrella for Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children (CASA), represented by Paige Malloy. CASA plays a vital role in supporting children who have experienced abuse or neglect and are living in foster care.
CASA is active in 65 of Illinois’ 102 counties, with more than 750 trained volunteers. About 90% of children in foster care are removed due to neglect, and frequent placements often create instability. Trained volunteers from diverse professional backgrounds make a direct difference by writing reports, working alongside attorneys and helping children find safe, permanent homes.
This semester, BloNo Rotaract Club is offering opportunities in meal packing, building houses with Habitat for Humanity, hosting a panel of IWU alumni on service and leadership, helping with an animal rescue showcase, contributing to Rotary’s Pads for Girls project, volunteering at the Baby Fold’s Festival of Trees, and more.
BloNo Rotaract Club is growing, and so are its opportunities. To get involved and learn how to put service above self, email blonocollegiaterotary@gmail.com.
