Giving back
CMU Rotoract Club volunteers across the country
Plunging into ice water, serving a beef dinner and holding a bake sale are just of the recent activities of the Central Michigan University Rotaract Club.
The registered student organization participates in volunteering events throughout the year across the state and world.
President and St. Charles senior Ben Reyhl and Vice President and Battle Creek junior Stephanie Bird, help ensure the four-year-old organization remains active.
What is the purpose of Rotaract?
Reyhl: It’s about volunteering, building connections and friendships with other people. We do a lot to raise money for organizations by going out volunteering. We also have speakers come in, and we have bonding nights as a group. Rotaract is part of a larger organization that is Rotary International. Almost 200 countries have Rotary clubs. There are also high school level clubs like Interact, the college-version Rotaract and the original adult Rotary Club.
Bird: We are service over self. We are always looking to help our community and give back to our community. We have speakers come in, we’ve had a speaker talk about leadership and tonight we are talking about the Chinese New Year. We try to get informed about a lot of different things. We also do international projects too. This year we want to raise money to stop sex trafficking in Brazil.
Why is volunteer work beneficial for students?
Reyhl: It’s a chance for us to do something truly meaningful. We don't just volunteer in our own communities, but also around the world in international projects. This work is something students really get a lot out of, because they feel like they are making a difference. I think when students are in high school there is almost a limit on what they can do. In many cases, you’re stuck doing what an adviser tells you or suggests, and we can actually go out and find volunteer opportunity projects.
What inspires you to perform volunteer work?
Reyhl: For me, it’s just a chance for me to feel like I’m really doing something meaningful. It’s chance to step out from the daily grind of just classes, homework, and even some extra-curriculars, it lets me step back and put things into perspective with helping others. I have grown up around Rotary a little more than other because my dad is a Rotarian. Just being able to see some of the things Rotary has been able to do to help the community, really made me want to work with this good opportunity.
Bird: It is a way for me to do something that is bigger than myself. I have always cared a lot about volunteering; I’ve always felt like it is something that is needed. Ever since I was young, I have wanted to help people anytime I could. Being able to do something that could potentially change someone’s life is just awesome.
What do members do?
Reyhl: This semester, we have been trying to mix it up by not having the same formula every week. The Mount Pleasant Rotary has a speaker every week, and on occasion we will too. But we also try and use this time to do some relatively small work, like in the past we've wrote letters to the military.
Bird: Every Tuesday in Grawn 103, we have weekly meetings that are open to all. We have announcements at the beginning of the meeting then talk about fundraising and then our activities vary week to week. Last week, we made valentines for Hearts for Hospice and then this week we are recognizing the Chinese New Year.
How does volunteering affect the community? Why should Rotaract be important to Mount Pleasant? What are some upcoming events?
Reyhl: Within our community, we try to be involved in many volunteer works, fundraising, and projects. A group of us were in the Polar Plunge, we have raised nearly 750 dollars for Special Olympics and want to raise even more. In April, we will have a team fund for Relay for Life, and we have our international projects and now the most recent local playground project.
Bird: We have a community project we are just getting started on. We want to have a playground built with a nice baseball diamond for a local trailer park. We are at the beginning stages of starting this big spring project. If we get a good amount of people willing to volunteer then we can make something beneficial. We can do a lot of damage and raise a lot of money and awareness.
Where do you see this RSO in five years?
Reyhl: In addition to expanding the club and getting more members, I would like to see it get a signature event. If we could put together some kind of reoccurring event each year that brings in awareness, like Relay For Life, would be very ideal for me. We wouldn’t be the club that we are without the fellowship; I see the organization building to keep doing good in the community.
Bird: I see the club expanding a lot, becoming really big with a ton of people here doing a lot more for the community. I have high hopes and would like to see the numbers increase, and I am determined to get it that way.
