Southeastern North Carolina's oldest, largest and finest civic organization

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Nominations sought for 2027 Leaders in Service awards

Oct. 1: The club is accepting nominations for the sixth annual Leaders in Service Awards. These will recognize leaders from the business, non-profit, and government sectors whose service to their community has strengthened the Cape Fear region. Nominations are due Jan. 15, 2027.

Three honorees, one from each sector, will be recognized at the Leaders in Service Awards Banquet at 6 p.m. Tuesday, May 11, 2027, at the Burney Center at the University of North Carolina Wilmington.

Nominees may be current or former leaders of their organizations. They do not need to be Rotarians. The selection criteria emphasize meaningful results for the community, integrity and fairness, and the ability to build partnerships and bring others into service.

Nomination criteria and an interactive form are available in the Leaders In Service section of this site. Submissions should include a narrative of 300 to 500 words that describes the nominee’s accomplishments and includes specific examples of community impact. The form includes instructions for submitting nominations by mail or email if the nominator prefers.

Leaders in Service is the Wilmington Rotary Club’s primary fundraiser. Proceeds benefit its tax-exempt foundation, which awards grants to nonprofit organizations and supports Rotary-led projects locally and internationally. Sponsorship information is also available in the Leaders In Service section.

The latest club newsletter

Keep up with what our big, busy club does with our bi-monthly "Club News." It contains updates on club meetings, members, and our wide range of service projects. The print edition is distributed at club meetings; the digital edition is available here. See the lower left corner of this page for links to recent back issues. For the latest, go to current edition

For more updates, go to news page.

For Rotarians

Oct. 14: A food packing work day at Nourish NC, 3606 Market St. Twenty-five volunteers are needed from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. to pack food in bags and/or boxes that will be distributed to families with food insecurity, especially aimed at weekends and school breaks when children don't have access to school breakfasts and lunches. Rotarians planning to volunteer should notify Dori Bishara by email or phone.

Oct. 20: Vocational Fellowship Day. Instead of our usual lunch meeting, members will be assigned to one of a variety of workplaces for a box lunch and presentations and tours by Rotarian hosts. A link to a sign-up form, where you can request a particular venue, has been emailed to all club members.

Nov. 7: Volunteer work day with Habitat for Humanity. Twelve volunteers are needed to install vinyl siding on a Habitat home construction site, 54 Old Mill Road, Castle Hayne. No experience is necessary, and all tools and materials will be supplied. Dress in layers, wear closed-toe shoes, and complete a waiver form in advance. Email to Donna Shiro to obtain that necessary waiver.

Ongoing: Members can download a digital copy of the club's current Handbook, which includes a membership roster and other important information. This requires a login to the district and club database, as outlined in the item above.

Ongoing: Anyone participating in a service project is urged to get photographs of Rotarians at work for use in both public outreach and internal communication. Email high-resolution photos to the club's Public Image Committee. (Contact info is in the club handbook.) Also helpful: Please follow, like, and share the club's social-media pages and posts. See links above.

Our club's background

The club was founded in 1915. For details, go to Club History page.

Our members and sponsors support both the Rotary movement's international financial arm and our own charitable foundation. Rotarians contribute to the global Rotary Foundation; they also give and solicit deductible contributions to our tax-exempt Section 501 (c)(3) foundation, The Rotary Club of Wilmington Foundation. This local foundation pays for our service projects, both locally and internationally, with some projects also aided by grants from The Rotary Foundation. To learn more about our fundraising, go to our club's local RCW Foundation page and to Leaders in Service.

Projects

For details on how we spend our money and volunteer hours, go to Our Projects page.

What we believe

Our club has endorsed Rotary International's diversity, equity and inclusion statements. For details, go to our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion page and to Rotary International's DEI page.

Membership: a choice for fellowship and service

The Wilmington Rotary Club is looking for accomplished business and professional people, of all ages and backgrounds, to become part of our community of service.

For details about how to become a member, go to the Membership page.

Rotary's seven areas of focus

The club's service priorities are based on part on Rotary International's seven areas of focus. (The seventh, the environment, is new in 2021.) The areas of focus are:

Peace and conflict prevention/resolution.
Disease prevention and treatment.
Water and sanitation.
Maternal and child health.
Basic education and literacy.
Economic and community development.
The environment.

Rotary's Seven Areas of Focus