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Rotary was founded by a group of businessmen as a forum for them to share their experiences and to interact with colleagues from different industries. Rotary’s second Avenue of Service, Vocational Service, promotes high ethical standards in business, and fosters the ideal of service in the pursuit of all vocations. Christiana Rotary develops projects which allow members to contribute their talents to society’s needs.
CLASSIFICATION TALKS
Members are asked to make a 5 or 10 minute presentation ("classification talk") about his or her vocations approximately 1 month after being inducted. Rotary's classifications system that limited active membership to one representative from each business or profession is no longer officially in place. Nevertheless, membership in Rotary is based on vocational diversity. The members of Christiana Rotary make it a practice, before inviting a prospective member from a particular business or profession to visit our Club, to first check with any member of the Club who is in the same business or profession to see if that member has a concern about another individual from the same classification becoming a member of our Club.
SCHOLARSHIPS AND GRANTS
For the last 6 years, The Christiana Rotary Club has been awarding scholarships in memory of George A. Thompson. George was a very active member of our Club. He received the Club’s highest honor when he was named a Paul Harris Fellow in recognition of his service. His commitment to the ideals of Rotary, and its motto "Service Above Self," were reflected in his relations with business associates, competitors, friends and his fellow Rotarians. George applied the principles of Rotary in all he said and did in the community, and to honor his memory, The Christiana Rotary Club established The George A. Thompson Memorial Scholarship Program to provide educational opportunities to young Delawareans. Recipients of scholarships have included students from Christiana High School, Dickinson High School, Newark High School, and Hodgson Vo Tech. They have gone on to colleges such as University of Delaware, Brown, James Madison, and Washington & Lee.
The academic scholarship program provides a $500.00 per semester tuition scholarship (limited to a two semester year) to any college selected by the student, over a 4-year period for a total of $4,000.00. The Club also awards a $1,000.00 Grant to a student who enrolls in an institution of higher learning to acquire skills and knowledge in a particular trade. For more information, including eligibility requirements and an application, click on "Scholarship Program," or go to www.christianarotary.org/scholarship.
READING AND CHILDREN
Computers
Our Club is very proud of a project currently under way at the Boys & Girls Club. We are sponsoring a room to be named "The Christiana Rotary Reading Room" which has computers and special software programs designed to greatly improve the reading ability of the kids.
Dictionary Project
Thurgood Marshall Elementary School is widely recognized as one of the outstanding elementary schools in Delaware. A major goal of Rotary throughout the world has been to promote literacy, and in keeping with that goal, members of The Christiana Rotary Club visited the School’s classrooms on February 5th, 2004 and handed out 600 dictionaries to the 3rd graders so that each student would have his or her own personal dictionary. Each student wrote his or her name in the dictionary, and was asked to look up the definition of words like "integrity" and "character." As a result of these efforts, more children will be able to expand their vocabulary or look up the meaning of a word in their personal copy whenever they want. Fueled by the belief that a dictionary can inspire a lifelong love for exploring and unraveling the wonders and mysteries of words, the Christiana Rotary Club’s efforts have being matched by other Rotary Clubs in District 7630, who are distributing an estimated 25,000 dictionaries to schools throughout the State of Delaware and the Eastern Shore of Maryland.
I Love To Read Day
Christiana Rotary Club members participate in this annual event by visiting Thurgood Marshall Elementary School and reading to the students. We know that the children really enjoy it, but we have to admit that we have a terrific time as well. What a great way to spend a couple of hours!
INTERACT
Interact is a Rotary-sponsored service club which gives high school students an opportunity to participate in meaningful service projects and to develop their leadership skills and initiative while meeting new friends. Through their service activities, Interactors 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, and advancing international understanding and goodwill. Interactors have access to the resources of Rotary International and the Rotary Foundation. Although Rotary International provides the administrative support that helps Interact clubs thrive, local Rotary clubs are essential to successful Interact clubs. Christiana Rotary supports the Delaware Military Academy (DMA) Interact Club. DMA is a charter school in New Castle County, and its Interact Club falls under the guidance of Commander Bruce Shumway. The school is an incredible concept. Further information is available on its website, www.demilacad.org. Listed below are some of the accomplishments as well as the future commitments for the DMA Interact Club:
Toys for Tots
Ronald McDonald House
Salvation Army Bell Ringing
Alzheimer Walk A Thon
Earth Day Clean up
Adopt A Highway
American Soldier Time-line
Mentoring - Richardson Park Elementary
Easter Seals Spike for Life
Girl Scout Cookies For Soldiers Abroad
March of Dimes Walk-A-Thon
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