Green Valley (Henderson) Rotary - Vocational Service

Vocational Service involves club members serving others through their professions and aspiring to high ethical standards. Rotarians, as business leaders, share skills and expertise through their vocations, and they inspire others in the process.

Rotary’s emphasis on Vocational Service has its roots in the founding of the organization. The original intent of the young lawyer Paul Harris was to bring together a circle of business and professional acquaintances. And the use of the classification principle — the guideline by which nearly all Rotary membership is determined — assures that each club has among its members a cross-section of a community’s business and professional population. Since the founding of Rotary in 1905, Rotarians have always stressed high business ethics.

Among the Rotary programs available for fostering Vocational Service are the following:

Classification Talks allow Rotary members an opportunity to share details of their profession with other members of their club. Green Valley Rotarians regularly give Classification Talks where they discuss the work they do and their adherence to ethical principles in their business.

Assisting in the development of the community's youth is another important aspect of our club's vocational service. The Rotary Club of Green Valley regularly participates in a variety of activities at both the local and the District level. Among these are:

Potential Rotary Leadership Seminars - The goal of PRLS is to provide a set of training sessions to train current and future Rotary leaders to become more effective in their leadership roles. Every subject covered in the program is of benefit both inside and outside Rotary. The training is delivered by leadership professionals, former teachers, trainers and Rotary members whose careers and Rotary experience make them particularly well-suited to the challenge of training prospective Rotary leaders.

Interact - Interact is a Rotary-sponsored service club for young people ages 14-18. Interact Clubs can be either school or community based and are required to carry out at least two service projects annually – one that serves their school or community, and another that furthers international understanding.

RYLA - Each year Rotary Clubs around the world provide a program to recognize and develop leadership potential among young people within their community. High school juniors spend a weekend at camp to become eligible for the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards.

TLC - The basis of Teen Leadership Camp is to help students develop their personal skills so they will be able to develop their leadership skills and fulfill their potential as leaders of their peers. TLC is a spin-off program from the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards program (RYLA), but TLC is exclusively for 8th grade students.

Dan Stover Music Contest - Musically talented high school students participate each year in a Rotary District 5300 program entitled the Dan Stover Memorial Music Scholarship, and winners qualify for educational awards that enable them to further their studies at an accredited college, university, or music conservatory upon high school graduation.

Hensel Ethics Essay Contest - The George R. Hensel Ethics Essay Contest is designed to challenge high school students to analyze ethical issues and concerns confronting them in today's complex world. Open to all high school students in the district, the contest provides an opportunity for students to win scholarships, and express their views on ethics.

4-Way Test Speech Contest - Our Rotary District annually conducts a Four-Way Test Speech Contest to benefit high school age youth. The specific goals of the contest are:

To acquaint a large number of youth with Rotary and the Four-Way Test.
To demonstrate and enhance Rotary’s commitment to youth.
To heighten awareness of Rotary among youth, parents, schools, and community.
To recognize, encourage, and reward hard work and accomplishment among youth.

The Rotary Club of Green Valley also helps to mentor and guide students at all grade levels in the Henderson area community through participation and/or assistance with the following types of programs:

Methamphetamine Awareness - Rotary clubs throughout Southern Nevada helped to sponsor a special methamphetamine awareness television program called Crystal Darkness. This 30-minute gripping documentary underscored the frightening truth about meth’s devastating attack on our youth and their families.

Drug/Alcohol Testing of High School Athletes - Green Valley Rotary approves and helps support the efforts by local area high schools in reducing drug and alcohol use among students through programs for mandatory random drug testing of athletes. The program which started at Greeen Valley High School has now spread to other high schools within the Clark County School District.

Teacher Mini-Grants - Teachers in local area schools are eligible to receive grants ranging from $50-$200 for special classroom projects. These funds help support innovative teachers who want to develop new ideas to enrich the student classroom experience.

PAYBAC - The PAYBAC program is a partnership between the Clark County School District and community members to visit at risk middle school students to mentor and encourage those students to complete high school and continue on to higher education. Professionals and Youths Building a Commitment encourages students to stay in school by talking to persons who have succeeded in various careers. Green Valley Rotarians have participated in this program for several years.