Service before self. Learn why one Rotarian joined Rotary for the experience.
Jennifer Jacobson, a police constable in Chatham-Kent, Ontario, Canada, took part in a Rotary-sponsored Group Study Exchange (GSE) to Japan in 2009 after reading a post by a colleague and former participant.
“It was a life-changing experience, absolutely fantastic,” says Jacobson, who joined a physical therapist, a music therapist, and a retail manager on the trip. “Because they had limited translators, we went everywhere together and learned about each other’s professions. Our Japanese hosts made sure we experienced everything.
“What really hooked me on Rotary, though, was the experience I got from the Rotarians in Japan. The kindness and the support and the welcoming nature were overwhelming.”
A few years later, Jacobson was accepted into the three-month Rotary Peace Center program at Chulalongkorn University in Thailand. The experience cemented her decision to join Rotary.
“I had thought about it after the GSE but now I knew I had to,” says Jacobson. “Rotary has given me so much. I couldn’t not be a part of it.”
As a police department peace officer, Jacobson deals with child abuse cases and sometimes sees the worst of humanity. But the goodness she sees in her fellow club members keeps her excited about Rotary.
“When I go to those meetings one hour a week and I see people wanting to do good things in the community, I always leave feeling so happy,” she says. “I leave knowing there are really good people. That’s why I stay. That and the many good experiences I have had in Rotary.”