Rotary projects around the globe
February 2026
United States
For more than a decade, Iowa Rotarians have conjured up a frightful tradition for people seeking a Halloween scare. The undertaking started in 2012, when the Rotary Club of Eldora leased an abandoned city-owned hospital and turned it into a haunted fundraiser attracting visitors from across the state and new interest in the club. When the hospital was sold in 2023, the Rotarians created a new spooky attraction, an outdoor haunted trail. Costumed actors, including high school thespians, line the half-mile wooded path. “Honestly, the area is creepy enough without any props or decorations,” says Marc Anderson, club president. Proceeds are donated back into the community, primarily to the high school boosters. The club’s dozen members all pitch in to handle crowd control and ticket sales. “Most importantly,” Anderson says, “one Rotarian has to pick up pizzas to feed our actors at the end of each evening.”
Jamaica
Called Jamaica’s storm of the century, Hurricane Melissa swept across the island in October, devastating southwestern coastal communities. “Trees and power lines had fallen, roofs had been blown away, and some buildings had collapsed,” says Dominica Pradère, a past president of the Rotary Club of Montego Bay, one of the worst-hit areas. Two members’ homes were severely damaged, and all were left without electricity or running water for weeks. “Once we were able to communicate, we began to explore ways to assist people whose situations were far worse than our own,” Pradère says. Club members provided relief packages to several communities, working in partnership with the Rotary clubs of Kingston and Ocho Rios, and ShelterBox and Food For The Poor. “Fortunately,” Pradère says, “we have a network of Rotary friends and other organizations around the world who want to assist as we help communities and institutions to get back to normal.”
-
500.00
Visitors spooked nightly by Eldora Rotarians
-
185.00 mph
Hurricane Melissa’s wind speed in Jamaica
Hungary
A charity wine auction by the Rotary Club of Budapest-Margitsziget in November sold off over 100 bottles. Local wineries and three other clubs — Berlin-Gendarmenmarkt, Milano Sud-Ovest, and Paris-Quai d’Orsay — donated signature wines from their countries. The fundraiser’s attendance nearly doubled from 2024 and helped raise about $17,000 for the Fellegajtó Nyitogatók Foundation, which is constructing a residential home for children with disabilities. “We are delighted by the outcome, which far surpassed our expectations,” says Ferenc Szénási, the club president. “It is a great joy to see how the strength of community can bring real change.”
Mauritius
On the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius, Rotarians are helping the country shift from an agricultural economy dominated by sugar to one centered on technology, banking, and tourism. The Rotary Club of Haute Rive joined the Ministry of Education to coordinate a job and education fair to connect job seekers with employers in hospitality, financial services, information technology, manufacturing, education, retail, and other industries. “For many, it was a first-time experience of being seen, heard, and valued in a professional setting,” says Deeksha Bundhoo, a member of the club, which has since established a mentorship program. Government officials lauded the outreach. “The fair represents a bridge between the aspirations of our youth and the evolving needs of our industries,” says Mahend Gungapersad, the country’s minister of education and human resource, who attended the fair with other senior officials and members of Parliament.
-
15.0071
Earliest written reference to Hungary’s Tokaji Aszú dessert wine
-
$12.00,000
Average annual earnings of Mauritians at businesses with 10+ employees
Vietnam
The Rotary Club of Saigon International participated in two global grant projects with District 3740 in Korea that have corrected congenital heart disease for 100 Vietnamese children since 2023. The $125,000 Heart-to-Heart project helps low-income families bridge the gap between what the government covers and what they’re able to pay out of pocket. “We chose pediatric heart surgery because, with a relatively small contribution of $1,500 from us, we can quite literally save a child’s life,” says Hoa Nguyen, president-elect of the club. Rotary contributions are matched by the VinaCapital Foundation and the Vietnamese government. The impact on livelihoods is significant, Nguyen notes, as caregivers are able to return to the workforce after their child’s recovery.
This story originally appeared in the February 2026 issue of Rotary magazine.