Fellowship is really the key to Rotary - it is the oil which drives all its machinery! Rotary started nearly 100 years ago in Chicago because Paul Harris felt isolated in his business life, so he started a regular fellowship with other like-minded people. This simple formula was so successful that it has now circled the globe. It is remarkably refreshing and enjoyable to meet up each week with a set of individuals who would not otherwise have been part of your day to day life, and gradually get to know them as your friends and colleagues in Rotary. Enjoyment of each others' fellowship extends beyond weekly Rotary mealtime into other social activities - quiz nights, dances, ceilidhs, wine tasting - which can include wives and partners. However, it is also fellowship which drives the service activities of Rotary: Paul Harris and his colleagues found that they enjoyed each others' fellowship even more when they started to work together on service projects.

The two most significant service committees of Abertay Rotary are the Vocational Service Committee and the Community Service Committee. Through these committees, Rotary members deliver Christmas parcels and spring flowers to elderly folk; give mock interviews to school children to provide experience of being interviewed by strangers (e.g. for jobs); become involved in a day of activities ("Kids Out") for disabled schoolchildren each June. Abertay are always considering worthwhile new projects, some of which are inspired by project suggestions from national and international Rotary committees.

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During the Rotary year, which runs from 1 July to 30 June, a range of projects and activities are organised by the club council - the conveners of a range of subcommittees, together with club secretary and treasurer - under the chairmanship of the club president. These various activities can be broadly classified under two headings: fellowship and service.

The International Committee serves the international dimension of Rotary. A huge range of valuable projects are supported by the Rotary Foundation, Rotary's worldwide charity: one particularly high-profile project is the campaign to rid the world of polio, known as Polio Plus. Rotary International also promotes and supports campaigns to remove landmines and foster global peace.

A Ways and Means Committee comes up with ideas for fund raising, which is needed to support the above activities, and also to give donations to local, national and international charities. Every year Abertay raises and donates between £8,000 and £10,000.

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