Recently, Mark Kaushal got a chance to bounce some ideas off Rotary International President Wilf Wilkinson. How did this new Rotarian – he’s been a member of the Rotary Club of Skokie Valley, Ill., USA, for less than two years – get such high-level access? He attended his district’s ABCs of Rotary seminar.

Of course, it helps if your district includes Evanston, Ill., where Rotary International is headquartered. But even for Rotarians in other regions, such seminars provide a perfect opportunity for new and experienced members alike to get better acquainted with the organization.

In November, nearly 150 Rotarians from District 6440 (Illinois) met up at One Rotary Center for the four-hour seminar, which was preceded by a tour of the building and followed by a reception with Wilkinson. They heard Rotarians and Rotaractors, along with a past Ambassadorial Scholar, Rotary World Peace Fellow, and Group Study Exchange participant speak about their projects and experiences. To many of the new Rotarians in the audience, the day was nothing short of inspirational.

“Hearing about it all here,” said Kaushal, who is president-elect of the Skokie Valley club, “you’ll find out where your passion lies. Something like this just sparks ideas.”

One of the most colorful ideas presented was a community service project initiated by the Rotary Club of Wilmette Harbor. Club member Ted Welch, lugging a display filled with trash to the middle of the stage, advised the Rotarians assembled to look for projects that will excite their communities. Wilmette’s annual Beach Sweep routinely attracts 150 volunteers who collect up to 700 pounds of refuse: everything from old shoes and barbeque grills to swim fins, fishing line, and bottles, all of which is then catalogued for a pollution study sponsored by the Alliance for the Great Lakes. “What’s in it for us?” Welch asked. “Simple – we make people aware of the consequences of their actions.”

Carlos Früm, of the Rotary Club of Northbrook, meanwhile, encouraged fellow Rotarians not to overlook international service. “Overseas, hands-on projects promote world peace by [bringing people together] and fostering understanding. But better than that,” Früm said, “you can get dirty, waste a vacation and, when you get done, have the biggest grin of your life.”

Many in the audience were astonished by Rotary’s grants programs, which enable clubs and individuals to multiply the impact of their giving. Past District Governor Gordon Schrubbe showed how a contribution of $2,500 for water wells in Africa can become $11,250 with matching funds. “I admired Rotary before I joined,” said the newest member of the Rotary Club of Lake Zurich, Hal Berman, who had been installed the day before the ABCs of Rotary seminar. “I had no idea – none – the breadth of this organization.”