Community Involvement

Our club is committed to the continuous improvement of our local community. From working withschools to improve student’s experience and academic success to our work with the local B-Streettheatre’s Educational Programs our members are out serving and bettering our community.

Point West Rotary Supports Local Schools

For decades, Point West Rotary has supported our local schools. We identify which schools and student populations need the most support and apply our talent and resources to their needs. We have funded field trips, built and stocked food pantries, expanded summer camps and augmented summer school experiences, provided classroom supplies, and developed and funded educational programs, including advancing literacy and incentivized learning.
Students in a classroom with PWR volunteer reading
Partners in Leadership Program

Partners in Leadership Program

Point West Rotary has been presenting its Partners in Leadership program with Encina High School students annually since 2011. It is a day- long off-campus conference which introduces students to important life concepts. Each year about 30 students are identified and recommended by Encina’s teachers, counselors and principals, and a like number of PWR members volunteer and are paired with the students for 1:1 conversations during various parts of the program.

After providing each student with a t-shirt and breakfast, the conference begins with a speaker(s) who presents various thought-provoking topics such as ethics, values and decision-making (which typically include the iconic Rotary Four-Way Test). That is followed by exercises which challenge the mind and values of each participant, and lunch is provided. At the end of the day, the students present a skit which illustrates key concepts covered during the day, including ethical dilemmas and decision-making, as leaders.

The concepts covered at the conference are reinforced in the months following via monthly Roundtable meetings at the school, with PWR members again facilitating and acting as mentors. At these Roundtable meetings, students review and have the opportunity to practice skills learned at the conference. Topics include public speaking, review of values and ethics, difficult choices, being an effective role model for others, taking responsibility, and trusting themselves. There is also a session on resume writing and tips for being effective in a college/job interview. Upon completion of participation in the full day event and subsequent Roundtables, each student leader is recognized at their graduation as a PWR Partners in Leadership award recipients and they receive a personalized Letter of Reference that can be used for future job and academic applications.

Most of the conference participants graduate from high school, and many go on to college and/or take jobs to help their families after completing high school. To date, over 350 students have participated in the program.

Partners in Leadership has become PWR’s signature youth program.

Interact

Photo of PWR member standing with 6 students from a local Sacramento Rotary Interact club
Interact is Rotary International’s service club for young people ages 12 to 18. Interact clubs are sponsored by individual Rotary clubs, which provide support and guidance, but they are self-governing and self-supporting. We currently support clubs at West Campus and Encina High Schools in Sacramento.

Club membership varies greatly. Clubs can be single gender or mixed, large or small. They can draw from the student body of a single school or from two or more schools in the same community.

Each year, Interact clubs complete at least two community service projects, one of which furthers international understanding and goodwill. Through these efforts, Interactors develop a network of friendships with local and overseas clubs and learn the importance of

  • Developing leadership skills and personal integrity
  • Demonstrating helpfulness and respect for others
  • Understanding the value of individual responsibility and hard work
  • Advancing international understanding and goodwill

As one of the most significant and fastest-growing programs of Rotary service, with more than 13,500 clubs in over 100 countries and geographical areas, Interact has become a worldwide phenomenon. Over 310,000 young people are involved in Interact.

For more information about Interact clubs supported by Point West Rotary, contact PWR Interact Chair Don Rodes at dwrodes1@gmail.co.

Rotary Youth Leadership (RYLA)

High School Juniors and Seniors and Tomorrow’s Leaders

RYLA is an intense and incredibly challenging program, sponsored by California and Nevada Rotary Districts 5180 of Northern California and 5190 of Northern Nevada, and has been designed to engender passion, resilience, determination, mental toughness, gratitude and compassion. In addition, the program will instill in the participants the value of Service above Self, a core Rotary belief.

Rotary Youth Exchange (RYE)

Rotary Youth Exchange builds peace one young person at a time

Students learn a new language, discover another culture, and become global citizens. Exchanges are for students 15 to 18 1/2 years old. Whether you participate in Rotary’s long-term or short-term exchange programs, you will be an ambassador, learning from people you meet about their countries, cultures, and ideas and sharing yours with them. You can help bring the world closer, and establish life-long friendships in the process.

Rotary Youth Exchange is a program through Rotary International, which includes 1.2 million business and professional leaders in more than 33,000 Rotary clubs in over 200 countries and geographical areas. The members of these autonomous clubs, Rotarians, volunteer their time and talents to serve their local communities and the world. Approximately 100 Rotary clubs worldwide participate in Rotary Youth Exchange with the goal of bringing peace to the world one young person at a time through exchange.

Rotary and our District value diversity and celebrate the contributions of people of all backgrounds, regardless of their age, ethnicity, race, color, abilities, religion, socioeconomic status, culture, sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity and are committed to inclusion and diversity. We celebrate multiple approaches and points of view, as we want to build a culture where difference is valued.

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