Years ago, when I was just starting in business, joining a civic organization made up of business men and women sounded like a great way to meet new people and get involved. As I learned more about Rotary and my fellow Rotarians it was evident we were all trying to achieve some of the same goals. We were all busy people trying to leverage our time and skills to engage in making our community a better place.

Rotary is the perfect place to do this. Its philosophy and beliefs are that every person and every occupation has something unique to offer toward the collective good of the community, whether that community be your own home town or a village in a remote third world country. We are all empowered to do this by putting “Service Above Self” to tackle these humanitarian challenges. In addition, building lasting friendships and networking opportunities offers personal rewards.

I was just getting oriented when I took part in a planning session to come up with a Topsham Expresso Rotary Club fundraising project. Creating a plan and an activity to support our charitable goals was new territory for me, and with our combined skills and interests we made light work of it. From a selfish point of view, I have to say I learned a lot just doing the business of Rotary. Planning a fundraiser, running a meeting, coordinating people and equipment, speaking in public, and having fun helped me develop confidence and business acumen.

However, the business end of Rotary did not prepare me for the impacts we deliver to the people we help and the satisfaction and humility we feel in helping others. Our Club has provided books to young kids in local schools, specialized hearing equipment to a student who would have fallen through the cracks without it, scholarships, meals for veterans, spaghetti dinners for kids with cancer and their families, summer camp tuition for those who could not afford it, and adventure-based leadership development for high school kids. All these good works are part of what Rotary International calls the Pyramid of Peace — fulfilling the basic needs of clean water, security for mothers and children, literacy and education, and economic development. Rotary believes these are the underpinnings of a peaceful society.

When I moved to this area seeking a Rotary Club was a high priority. I found in the Rotary Club of Topsham Expresso a mirror image in philosophy and practice to

Rotary Clubs I had known in the past.

We run a large fundraising event to support early childhood development across many venues. We donate books and provide funds for childhood development through programs such as Family Focus, Success by 6, and the

United Way Diaper Project.

We also help with a backpack program to fight childhood hunger and take a turn at helping Habitat for Humanity build new homes.

Yet in all these things I have described, nothing prepared me for knocking on a strange door a few days before Christmas and delivering a basket of food to a family that certainly would have gone hungry on the most festive and celebrated holiday on the calendar. The unexpected generosity, the relief and the joy we give to others is priceless, and that is why I joined Rotary and stayed with it for 23 years.

So we would love to have you join us at our weekly meetings at 7:15 a.m. Monday at the Priority Business Center, 2 Main Street, Topsham. Stop by and have a cup of coffee. Who knows? You may even want to come back as a member.

You can be part of a global organization that includes 35,000-plus clubs sharing the responsibility to take action on our world’s most persistent issues. You can help:

• Promote peace

• Fight disease

• Provide clean water, sanitation, and hygiene

• Save mothers and children

• Support education

• Grow local economies

We meet Mondays at 7:15 a.m. at Priority Group Business Center, 2 Main St., Topsham. Visit portal.clubrunner.ca/6963/ for more information.

Bob Guerette is the president of Topsham Expresso Rotary.