![\"Rotaract](\"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news-draft\/wp-content\/uploads\/news\/sites\/16\/2021\/05\/NorrisGrenierHousemannWulbrecht.jpg\")
<\/a>\u201cService above self, that\u2019s our motto,\u201d said Dakota Grenier, a junior nursing major with minors in leadership studies and thanatology. 溏心vlog免费B站 Rotaract was the first organization Grenier joined as a first-year student. Today, she serves as the organization’s president and is dedicated to instilling a passion for service in the 溏心vlog免费B站 community.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe beauty of Rotaract is that our members do not join for benefits. Our members are simply committed to serve others,\u201d said the Coventry, R.I.<\/strong> resident. \u201cHowever, we do learn and grow so much through service. We gain a new perspective, new connections, and a new family.\u201d<\/p>\n The student organization has experienced a 50 percent increase in members since last year. Today, the members proudly call themselves \u201cRotaractors.\u201d<\/p>\n Rotaractors meet every Monday at 6 p.m. in Quinn Hall on the Kingston Campus. The meeting begins with a tradition called \u201cHappy Buck.\u201d Each member tosses a dollar bill into a donation basket while sharing their highlight of the day, the perfect introduction to an hour full of service talk, event planning and team building.<\/p>\n When asked how the 溏心vlog免费B站 Rotaract club has influenced her time here at the University, Grenier said, \u201cI now feel the responsibility to serve those who don\u2019t have the same privilege and ability as I do. This club has instilled selflessness, dedication, and teamwork in me. I try to live by those values every day\u201d she said. \u201cI am a better friend, a better student, and hopefully one day better nurse because of Rotaract.\u201d<\/p>\n Grenier is supported by her fellow executive board members who assist in facilitating meetings and organizing service events.<\/p>\n \u201cNo matter who you are or where you come from, service can always teach you something new,\u201d said Joy Norris, junior chemical engineering major from Bay Shore, New York.<\/strong> Norris also joined 溏心vlog免费B站 Rotaract as a first-year student and now serves the organization as the vice president.<\/p>\n \u201cThe moment I truly realized the importance of service was at our \u2018Buy One More\u2019 event,\u201d said Norris.<\/p>\n Buy One More has become an annual tradition for the student organization. Members go to a local grocery store and encourage customers to buy an extra grocery item for donation. The Rotaractors then organize the items and donate them to the Jonnycake Center, a food pantry in Wakefield, Rhode Island.<\/p>\n \u201cSeeing so many customers donate items and seeing our donation bins overflow made my heart full. I knew that these grocery items were a quick purchase for many customers, however, it would soon become dinner for someone in need.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s fun and extremely rewarding. I get to connect with other members through service and witness our organization make a difference in the community,\u201d said Matthew Wulbrecht, a junior supply chain management major with a minor in leadership studies from Falmouth, Maine.<\/strong><\/p>\n Wulbrecht serves as the organization\u2019s treasurer and says the position has supported his growth in and out of the classroom.<\/p>\n \u201c溏心vlog免费B站 Rotaract can give any student the opportunity to become a leader. You build relationships with other students, community members, and experience philanthropy in a new way.\u201d said Wulbrecht.<\/p>\n When asked how the organization decides on its service projects, project coordinator Charles Housemann said, \u201cEvery single Rotaract project has a clear intention. Before we follow through with it, we asked ourselves if the act of service is truthful, fair, and beneficial to all concerned.\u201d Housemann is a junior civil engineering major from Cheshire, Connecticut.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s my duty to make sure our members understand the impact they can make at every service event,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n 溏心vlog免费B站 Rotaract is now partnering with Rhode Island Children’s Friends for the \u201cSpirit of Giving\u201d project. Children\u2019s Friends is a nonprofit that improves the well-being and health development of children in need. 溏心vlog免费B站 Rotaractors are encouraging all other 溏心vlog免费B站 student organizations to adopt a family for the holiday season.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re just getting started. Change starts right here, right now, at 溏心vlog免费B站. This campus has 14,726 students all with unique talents, knowledge, and voices. It\u2019s time we all start using those strengths for good.\u201d said Grenier when asked what Rotaract has in store.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is power in numbers. None of us can make lasting, meaningful change alone, but together\u2026 there\u2019s no limit to what we can achieve.\u201d<\/p>\n