The Rotary Club of Chengdu (RCC) was chartered on September 21, 2014 at the Rotary China District Conference in held Shanghai. This special event revived a tradition that began on January 9, 1939, when the first Rotary Club of Chengdu met at the YMCA/YWCA on Chunxi Lu. The original Rotary Club here, active in the late 1930s and 40s, was one of more than twenty Rotary clubs across mainland China. The current Rotary Club of Chengdu was established by a group of foreign businesspeople living and working in Chengdu. RCC’s main purpose is to bring together business leaders and high level professionals in order to encourage fellowship and raise funds for deserving charities in and around the Sichuan Province.
The Rotary Club of Chengdu is part of Rotary International (RI), an organization established in Chicago in 1905. Rotary International is an international service organization whose purpose is to bring together business and professional leaders from a wide range of fields, in order to provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and help build goodwill and peace in the world. Currently there are over 34,000 Rotary clubs worldwide, with over 1.2 million members.
When deciding which charities to support, Rotary clubs all over the world – RCC included – will select projects within six main areas of focus. These are: Basic Education and Literacy, Disease Prevention and Treatment, Economic and Community Development, Maternal and Child Health, Peace and Conflict Prevention/Resolution, and Water and Sanitation. The Rotary Club of Chengdu has already organized several fundraising events and sponsored donations which have supported local charity projects within the scope of these areas.
There is no organization quite like Rotary. Because its members come form such a variety of backgrounds, Rotary clubs are able to look at problems from different angles and apply their expertise to address social issues in ways others cannot. We and work toward finding lasting, sustainable solutions to local and global problems. Clubs across continents join their efforts on common projects, and are able to address needs on a global scale.
One of the most notable Rotary International global projects is PolioPlus, focused on the global eradication of polio. Since 1985 when the project began, Rotarians have contributed over $850 million and hundreds of thousands of volunteer hours, leading to the inoculation of more than two billion of the world’s children. Now a partner in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GLEI) with the World Health Organization, UNICEF and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Rotary is recognized by the United Nations as the key private partner in this eradication effort.
The Rotary Club of Chengdu is looking to continue the Rotary International mission of helping those in need while living up to the organization’s motto of “Service Above Self”. The RCC meets each Tuesday evening at the Crowne Plaza Chengdu City Center. If you would like to join Chengdu based, like-minded members of the international community who are reaching out a helping hand to those in need, don’t hesitate to drop the RCC a message at info@rotaryclubchengdu.org to find out more.
