Hello,

I am pleased to welcome you to the Seneca Rotary Club's website and I thank you for visiting. As one of the most seasoned Rotary clubs in South Carolina, 81 years of service and counting, the Seneca Rotary Club joins over 33,000 fellow Rotary clubs in over 200 countries and geographic areas to comprise today's footprint of the world's first service club organization, Rotary International.

The community and business leaders who make up the membership of the Seneca Rotary Club partner with over 1.2 million fellow Rotarians word wide as we "..serve locally, regionally, and internationally to combat hunger, improve health & sanitation, provide for education & job training, promote peace, and eradicate Polio."

Our motto is "Service Above Self" and the Object of Rotary is "..to encourage and foster the ideal of service as a basis of worthy enterprise and, in particular, to encourage and foster:

FIRST. The development of acquaintance as an opportunity for service;
SECOND. High ethical standards in business and professions, the recognition of the worthiness of all useful occupations, and the dignifying of each Rotarian’s occupation as an opportunity to serve society;
THIRD. The application of the ideal of service in each Rotarian's personal, business, and community life;
FOURTH. The advancement of international understanding, goodwill, and peace through a world fellowship of business and professional persons united in the ideal of service."

The Seneca Rotary Club enjoyed an award winning performance last year as we "Made Dreams Real" under the leadership of my predecessor, Debbie Dubose, and I am excited about our game plan and team as we continue the legacy of service to the Seneca Community and beyond. Given the not so subtle reminder from Rotary International President John Kenny that "Rotary Is In Our Hands," our club is committed to the following goals this Rotary year:

GOAL 1: We will invest in the next generation of business and community leaders by achieving a net increase in our club's membership by March 31st, 2010.
GOAL 2: We will do our part in keeping our promise to the world by meeting our club's obligation to contribute $1,000.00 for the purpose of eradicating Polio.
GOAL 3: We will emphasize Rotary's unique commitment to vocational service by demonstrating and encouraging consistent practice of high ethical standards in our professional lives.
GOAL 4: We will invest in the future of our community and world by providing for the nurturing of the leadership capabilities of our members as well as the youth of our community.
GOAL 5: We will increase Rotary’s capacity to serve by making a concerted effort to involve each member in as many service initiatives as appropriate.
GOAL 6: We will work to advance the public image of Rotary as we contribute to causes both locally and abroad.
GOAL 7: We will provide for the long-term viability of our club by adhering to the guiding principles that have served Rotary so well for over the past century as we continue to address the needs and opportunities unique to our local community.

We will work to achieve our goals through a comprehensive and exciting schedule of activities designed to serve others as well as provide for the nurturing and development of each other as leaders, professional, individuals, and Rotarians. Whether it's building a wheelchair ramp for a family in need through our Rotary Repair Force outreach, making reading a reality for an at-risk child through our literacy initiative, honoring students for overcoming unique challenges with a Student of The Month recognition, awarding scholarships for top academic achievers in our local schools through support of the Seneca Rotary Scholars Foundation, eradicating Polio from the face of the earth by working at our Oktoberfest race, growing as a leader and person by socializing and networking with fellow Rotarians in one of our numerous social events, we will (as the old saying goes) "Do well by doing good."

So, if serving a purpose larger than your self, being better for it and having fun doing it appeals to you, I invite you to consider joining our Rotary adventure. The Seneca Rotary Club welcomes visitors who are compatible with our motto of "Service Above Self" at our weekly meetings on Thursdays at 1PM at Butter Beans Restaurant in Seneca. If you would like to know more about Rotary in general or our club in particular, just contact me by email at bennys@clemson.edu or give me a call at (864) 710-4717.

Yours In Rotary,

Ben Smith, President 2009/2010
Seneca Rotary Club