Who are we?

Pathways Rotary Club is the first online Rotary club of Rotary District 6600 (Northwest Ohio). Although the club began within District 6600, it has evolved to include any current Rotarians worldwide who may not find that their local club fits their needs but want to continue to be a part of Rotary. We link Rotarians and those who have been touched by Rotary through their experiences in many different Rotary alumni as former Rotary Youth Exchange students, RYLA, Group Study Exchange members, and Global and District Scholars and Vocational Training Teams (members and leaders). In addition, anyone who would like to put service above self and become a new Rotarian can feel welcome to begin their Rotary experience with our club in a format that suits their lifestyle.

Our purpose is to help make the world a better place while promoting fellowship among our members. Our members can do service wherever they are physically located in the world in concert with other Rotary clubs and come together as a club to further our goals of literacy and building better lives for people around the world while helping to preserve the planet we all share.

 

1.  Club overview

Our club was chartered on April 24, 2015. We meet online monthly using the Zoom app, with other meetings for fellowship, special events, and committee meetings. We are proud of our diverse membership. Our membership ranges from new members new to Rotary to long-term Rotarians, including five Past District Governors. Ten of our members are Rotary Alumni, six former Group Study Exchange participants, and five former Rotary Youth Exchange Students and Rotary Youth Exchange Officers. Ten of our members have served as presidents of other Rotary Clubs. Whether we have been Rotarians for more than forty years or just a few months, we are all bonded together by service above self, and an online club is the right fit for us at this period of our lives. We have members residing in ten different states in the United States and nine other countries. In addition to the base of our members that reside in Rotary District 6600 (Northwest Ohio, USA), we also have members living in other Rotary Districts of Ohio, California, Connecticut, Indiana, Michigan, Montana, South Carolina, Florida, Texas, and New York. Our international members reside in Mexico, Canada, Guatemala, Haiti, Germany, Finland, South Africa, Japan, and Taiwan. And we are growing! If you think an online Rotary club is right for you, if you have service to others in your heart, we would love you to consider joining us as a member of the Pathways Rotary Club.

www.PathwaysRotary.org

 

2.  How our club serves

Our club’s primary areas of focus for service projects are global in scope, in keeping with our global membership. We endeavor to serve while trying to meet several of Rotary International’s prime goals. Among them are promoting education, saving mothers and children, promoting local economies, providing clean water, sanitation, and hygiene, protecting our environment, and promoting world peace through better international relationships.

  • Literacy: The Guatemala Literacy Project part of the Cooperative for Education is a sustainable project to break the cycle of poverty in Guatemala by bringing books and technology to children there. While many nonprofits spread their resources across many countries, CoEd builds long-term relationships with our beneficiaries in one country, providing them with multiple, layered programs that combat poverty. Our “deep” development approach will bring about long-term, systemic change in Guatemala.

 

 

  • Our club currently sponsors five students in the RISE program, and many of our members sponsor other students individually. Several members of our club work in the program, and one of our club members is one of the organization’s founders.

                        Sheyla I.                                              María S.                                               Luisa G.                                             Jessica P.                                          Claudia D.

 

 

Medical Equipment and Supplies Abroad: MESA is District 6600’s premier project to help better the lives of people throughout the world.  In the United States, there is a huge wealth of usable medical equipment and supplies that are no longer in service. The second-hand surplus in our country is often state-of-the-art to the healing needs of developing countries. Rotarians have the resources to collect, sort, identify, store, and ship millions of dollars of still usable medical supplies and equipment. The supplies and equipment go from MESA’s warehouse in Fostoria, Ohio, into a shipping container and then into the port of a local Rotary Club for distribution. Working with MESA, our members, collaborating with local Rotary clubs and local officials, have been able to get vitally needed medical supplies and food to Indigenous people in Mexico.

 

  • Bringing Clean Water to the World: In partnership with Rotary clubs in Chihuahua, Mexico, the FECHAC Foundation, CAPTAR, Creation Care International, and other groups, our club has obtained a Rotary Global Grant from the Rotary International Foundation to bring water to homes that have never had that vital source of life. The program has been so successful that we have recently completed a second global grant. An additional water project is underway.

 

 

  • Operation Pollination: With global membership, we realize that the world begins in our backyard. Operation Pollination is a movement within Rotary to rebuild and expand the habitat of the world’s pollinators to help preserve our planet and food supply. No matter where you are located on the globe, you can have an influence, no matter how small, that can create real change for the better. Our members can team with Rotary Clubs locally and do service projects to help create a better environment for all of us or plant a few pollinator-friendly plants in their backyard.

  • Pathways to Careers: We have built an online resource for middle school/high school students. Interviews with our members on how they chose and prepared for their careers. We want to share our experiences to help them determine their path in life. The interviews are available on our website, and we promote their availability through Rotary’s STRIVE program and educational contacts in our communities.

  • Service through partnership: While the traditional model of being in service as a Rotarian with a weekly meeting and service projects just in a local community may not fit our members’ lifestyle, we encourage our members to reach out to their local community club and see how they can participate. Being a member of our club means you are also a member of a 1.2-million-member organization, Rotary International, doing vital work to make this a better world and can attend Rotary meetings anywhere around the world. Lending our hands and hearts occasionally to our local clubs while having the pleasure of fellowship with Rotarians around the world we feel is one of the greatest assets of our group.

 

 

3.  Why belong to an online Rotary club?

  • You want to put “service above self.”
  • Your busy life may not allow you to attend a weekly luncheon meeting.
  • You would like to meet other like-minded individuals from around the world.
  • You would like to explore what it is to become a Rotarian.
  • You have a busy travel schedule. You can stay abreast of Rotary and belong to the Pathways Club, thus enabling you to “attend” or catch up on meetings and presentations at your convenience 24/7.
  • You have been a Rotarian in a local club and have now moved away but would like to retain a connection with your fellow Rotarians.
  • You have had experience with a Rotary project like Youth Exchange or Group Study Exchange.
  • You might have mobility problems that preclude your ability to attend weekly meetings.
  • You are looking for a lower-cost alternative to a local club. Without having to pay for a venue for meetings or for food and beverages at those meetings, our club has an exceptionally low operating cost and, consequently, exceptionally low dues.
  • We always strive to improve the club for our members and those we serve.

4. How do I join Pathways Rotary?

QUALIFICATIONS… IF

  • You are a contributing member of society in your profession, occupation, industry, business, or community role.
  • You commit to the personal ethic of Service Above Self, The Four-Way Test, and support the Object of Rotary.
  • A Rotary sponsor has invited you to join the Pathways Rotary Club and you have been approved for membership by the club’s board of directors.
  • You are willing to participate regularly in the Pathways Rotary Club’s projects, and as appropriate and feasible, you are willing to accept a leadership role.
  • You are prepared to pay current dues to support the operating costs of Rotary International, Rotary District 6600, and the Pathways Rotary Club.  Annual dues are currently $250 US, which covers Pathways Rotary Clubs operations cost, District 6600 dues, and Rotary International dues.
  • You have regular access to the Internet and are willing to acquire the necessary skills to participate in the Pathways Rotary Club features.

 

Apply online:

Go to our website at: https://www.pathwaysrotary.org/join-us/

  • Click on the “Join Us” button.
  • This will take you to the membership application.
  • Fill out all information and submit.
  • Once we receive your application, it will be reviewed, submitted to the Pathways Rotary Club Board.
  • You will be notified of the board’s decision.

 

 

If you have further questions or need more information, you can contact membership chair, James Hunt at rotaryhunt@gmail.com.