Wichita Rotary - A Message from the Club President

Welcome to the Rotary Club of Wichita. Our club is one of the oldest and largest clubs in the Rotary world (we were the 30^th club, and have about 400 members), and we think you’ll find there is good reason for both. We also think you’ll find this is a club that is ready to give life to this year’s theme, announced by Rotary International’s President, D.K. Lee: Make Dreams Real. Here’s how we are making dreams real this year:

With a long history of involvement in community issues, we are currently active in local literacy projects for children, sending thousands of books every year to elementary children as part of the Reading is Fundamental program. We do more than that, though. We send Rotarians into the schools to read and spend time with the children, a highlight for children and members alike. Last year, we added a program delivering dictionaries to every third grader in the Wichita Public Schools. We offer other exciting incentive programs and service opportunities to older students, as well.

Internationally, we have maintained an ongoing relationship with Rotarians in Haiti, and have partnered with other organizations in Wichita to help bring sustainable improvements to villages and schools. This year, we will increase our international presence by continuing to expand our efforts to bring rain water harvesting and related projects to an impoverished district in India. In addition to these health-related programs, our club has historically been very active in the Group Study Exchange program of Rotary International and most years have presented a nominee for the prestigious Ambassadorial Scholar program.

While community and international service are at the heart of how we are making dreams real, our club offers great weekly meetings and other opportunities for social activities for our members. We meet nearly every Monday at the historic Broadview Hotel in downtown Wichita, where we enjoy a fine buffet lunch, great guest speakers, and a chance to visit with our Rotary friends. If you are a visiting Rotarian, come see us and enjoy our meeting; if you are a prospective member, learn more about the membership recruitment process on this web site or by contacting our office or any of our members.

We look forward to seeing you, and hope you will join us this year as we Make Dreams Real.

Kurt Harper, President 2008-2009

print this page