members of North Columbus Rotary Club are proud of the efforts we have given back to our local, regional, national, and international communities. As Rotarians, we feel service to others is an important part of our Rotary experience. We hope to continue to provide services to these needy causes and actively seek additional avenues to further expand the goals of our club and of Rotary International.
Ongoing Projects: These projects have been supported for several
consecutive years and continue to be a vital part of the work of North Columbus.
Clubview Reading Program - Our Clubview Reading Program is a long term service project we have done for many years with Clubview Elementary School. Each teacher is paired up with a Rotarian that reads to the class each month. This program allows the students to see actual men and women from the community take time out of their schedules to come and spend 30 minutes to an hour reading and mentoring. Most Rotarian readers say they get much more out of the program than the students.
Georgia Rotary Student Program - A program unique to Georgia allows a young person from another country to spend a year in a Georgia community taking college courses and experiencing some of the "southern hospitality" of our state. A college student from a country other than the United States is selected from applications to Rotary to spend a full year as the guest of the North Columbus Rotary Club. While living here, the student will be provided a "host family" and an opportunity to further his/her education through Columbus State University. The student attends the weekly Rotary meetings of our club as well as participating in other Rotary functions at the local and regional level. Club members intereact with the GRSP student through family activities in the community. The student is sponsored by a Rotary Club and will have a "host family" from the club to assist in addressing his/her needs while here with us. The student will attend Columbus State University, live in student housing, and participate in weekly Rotary meetings, district, and state meetings while they are here. To find out more about the GRSP program visit their website.
Wynnton/Rigdon Road Elementary School Christmas/Easter Project for Special Needs Children - Annually we visit the local elementary schools housing special needs students providing visits from the "Easter Bunny" and "Santa Claus". Gifts for the students are distributed under the guidance of the school administration and teachers.
Interact Club - Pacelli - We sponsor a youth club at the Pacelli High School in Columbus. The youth club is composed of outstanding students from the school. The goals of the club are similar to those of our Rotary club in that they promote service above self, build leadership opportunities for its members, and provide a meaningful opportunity for fellowship. Read more about the Interact Club at Pacelli,
Laws of Life Essay Contest - Since 2003, North Columbus Rotary Club has sponsored the Laws of Life Essay Contest. This contest started by Sir John Templeton allows high school students from all over the state of Georgia to write about a personal experience and tell what affect that it had on their lives. The beauty of this contest is that usually the winners are not the top students but average students that have learned from an experience in their life. Rotary sponsors the project by awarding prize money, holding an awards banquet and assisting with judging the essays.
G.O.A.L. Program - To support technical education, North Columbus Rotary Club sponsors the G.O.A.L. program. In partnership with Columbus Technical College, NCRC judges four student finalists on how well they convey the importance technical education has had in reaching their career goals. At a banquet sponsored by Rotary, the finalists give speeches outlining how they made their decision to attend a technical college and the positive effect it has had on their career. The winner then goes on to compete at the state level for the chance to be the ambassador for technical education in Georgia.
Fred W. Kirby Award - Fred W. Kirby was a longtime public school educator and member of North Columbus Rotary Club (then East Columbus Rotary Club). Each spring, North Columbus Rotary Club holds a banquet honoring the male and female student from each high school that scored highest on the SAT test. The students are recognized along with their parents, principal, and guidance counselor. The students are given a plaque and an opportunity to tell the club their future plans and goals. This is a great opportunity to have the future business and civic leaders of America recognized as they begin preparing to meet their future goals.
Georgia Rotary Student Program (GRSP) - A college student from a country other than the United States is selected from applications to Rotary to spend a full year as the guest of the North Columbus Rotary Club. While living here, the student will be provided a "host family" and an opportunity to further his/her education through Columbus State University. The student attends the weekly Rotary meetings of our club as well as participating in other Rotary functions at the local and regional level. Club members intereact with the GRSP student through family activities in the community. The student has the chance to experience first-hand the American way of life as well as some wonderful "Southern Hospitality"!
Rotary Career Day Program (Shaw High School) - Members of the club will attend selected classes at the school to provide personal interaction with students in helping shape career choices. Members of the club will discuss business practices from their personal experiences and answer questions from the students about prerequisite training and experiences required to pursue different careers. The North Columbus Rotary Club has sponsored a Career Day Program at various high schools over the years which involves club members from various businesses and professions being matched with students to discuss their career plans and provide some guidance in their areas of interest.