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About the Host Club

Oshkosh Rotary Southwest, now celebrating it's 36th year, is honored to host the 2010 District Conference.

Chartered in 1973, Oshkosh Rotary Southwest has become one of the largest clubs in southeast Wisconsin. More than 100 like-minded individuals in the Club work with each other, with their community and with others world-wide to give of themselves through a variety of successful projects.

Aside from being known as a "can do" service club, Oshkosh Rotary Southwest club meetings are social events and opportunities to have fun together. Among the many club activities are: Fowler's Fun Night by the campfire on Lake Winnebago; a club-sponsored Dragonboat team; the annual Holiday Party; an annual golf outing; and many more.

In addition Oshkosh Rotary Southwest focuses on four areas of service: Community, International, Vocational and the Rotary International Foundation.

Community Service

Each year the Oshkosh Rotary Southwest club raises money and awareness for local organizations working to make our community a better place. The club's signature event is the annual Wine Feast in partnership with the Oshkosh Boys and Girls Club. Attracting more than 1,000 visitors each year, Wine Feast proceeds are distributed between the two partnership organizations to focus on children's issues in the Oshkosh area.

Oshkosh Rotary Southwest members also participate in multi-disciplinary environmental committees focused on the active beautification of our community as well as environmental preservation. One highlight is the annual Battle on Bago Ice Fishing Tournament. Attracting thousands of anglers, this tournament raised money for environmental preservation and children's fishing programs.

Other community service projects include the annual Christmas Gift Exchange where Rotarians provide gifts, clothing and a home-cooked meal for underprivileged area families, in many instances the only holiday celebration they will have; the Winnebago County Mental Health Center Christmas Giving program, where the Club takes up a collection and delivers basic necessity gifts to those in residence at the Center; and the Meals-on-Wheels program where Rotarians volunteer to deliver meals to shut-in individual through the community. More than 20,000 local residents are helps each year by Rotarians participating in Meals-on-Wheels.

International Service

Oshkosh Rotary Southwest is also a leader in International Service including programs to help communities in Peru and Kenya, student and group study exchange programs, and sponsorship of student attendance at the World Affairs Seminar.

Working with one of our sister clubs in Oshksoh, our club has placed four "soy cows" in Peru - providing more than 2,000 servings of soy milk to children each and every day in the suburbs of Lima, Peru.

In Kenya, our clubs has provided more than $20,000 in financial support to sponsor a new hospital which will provide the village of Kaliluni with the only health care facility within 20 miles. The club has also helped to provide rural electrification and running water to the area.

For more than two decades the Club and its members have been sponsoring and hosting foreign exchange high school students to spend one year studying abroad as part of Rotary Youth Exchange. Additionally, the Club recruits American students to spend a year studying in a foreign country in the sponsorship of another Rotary club.

Oshkosh Southwest Rotary also regularly participates in the Group Study Exchange program in which young professionals from our area spend six weeks immersing themselves in a foreign culture, and by hosting Group Study Exchange participants from other countries as they visit our area.

Vocational Service

Each year Oshkosh Rotary Southwest provides an average of $14,000 in scholarships

Career and technical education plays a big role in the lives of our members and our club service. Each year Oshkosh Rotary Southwest provides an average of $14,000 in scholarships to deserving students from Oshkosh North, West and East high schools, Lourdes Academy, Oshkosh Christian Academy, and Fox Valley Technical College. Collectively, more than $111,000 in scholarships has been distributed by Oshkosh Southwest Rotary. The club also helps with an annual Back-to-School Fair that distributes more than 650 backpacks full of school supplies. Additionally, all 3rd graders in the club's school district receive a Math Bag filled with flash cards and games designed to teach mathematics.

The Club also organizes a High School Rotary Interact Program, with all avenues of service represented. Oshkosh Rotary Southwest works with the high school Interact program on projects such as the holiday parade, Bowling for Big Brothers, Trees for Tomorrow, and much more. The College Rotaract Program allows college students to experience the avenues of service in Rotary. Oshkosh Rotary Southwest is currently working to initiate a Rotaract club at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh.

Oshkosh Rotary Southwest has teamed up with the students and staff at Roosevelt Elementary School through the program Partners at Learning. Activities including: "celebrity" reading programs, a Birthday Book program, and funding for D.A.R.E. programs.

Rotary Foundation

The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International supports the efforts of Rotary International to achieve world understanding and peace through a variety of programs including activities to eradicate polio worldwide, scholarships and grants.

One of the ways Oshkosh Southwest Rotarians participate in the Rotary Foundation through the Paul Harris Fellowship program. To date, 32 members of our club are Paul Harris Fellows, a designation for lifetime contributions of $1,000 or more to help further the missions of the Rotary Foundation.

Copyright © 2009 - 2010, Oshkosh Rotary Southwest
Masthead photos copyright Rotary International
Lambeau Field photos copyright Green Bay Packers, Inc.