People join Rotary because they have a desire to serve. People stay Rotarians because of the Fellowship they enjoy. June is Fellowship month and a time to look at the importance of friendships and relationships in Rotary. Fellowship can mean a lot of things. For our club, it seems to mean friendship among a group sharing mutual interests. When we’ve surveyed members regarding why they joined in the first place and why they stay in Rotary, friendship is in the top 3 reasons listed.

Across our Rotary district and across the our vast global organization, Rotary also has interest groups or subgroups under the fellowship umbrella. These include hobbies, interests, past times, professions and other pursuits. These fellowship opportunities foster peace and better understanding. Rotary.org is an excellent resource for connected to Rotarians around the world.

Fellowship is one of Rotary’s core values. A key relationship for us as Rotarians must be the person who was our sponsor, the individual who thought enough about you to invite you to meeting and to guide you down that path to membership. Consider who you might invite to share in our club’s Fellowship by bringing a guest to our next luncheon or our summer party.

As I close out my year as president, I am particularly grateful for the fellowship that’s been extended my way by so many supportive members. Our club is doing exciting things and having great success. Let’s seize this moment to grow our club and welcome new faces. Let’s share our fellowship to continuing having an impact on the world.