Community Service Projects
What gives you purpose and motivation? What drives you every morning to go by your day? The Community Service Committee is one of the main pillars of Rotaract. Its mission is to create a long-lasting, positive impact on society at large. We believe that giving a hand to people who need it is the most rewarding action anyone can do. After all, when we help others, we are truly helping the whole environment we live in and ourselves. This committee filled with passionate leaders inspires me, gives me purpose and motivation on a daily basis, and fuels hope in a country that needs us more than ever.
- Director Celeste Saad
A Day With Bonheur du Ciel
Rotaract Club de Beyrouth joined efforts with "Bonheur du Ciel" to create a special day for 100 children in the spirit of the holiday season. On Saturday, 3rd of December 2022, we gathered with children from underprivileged families in a beautiful sunny park to spend a day full of costumes, yummy burgers, face painting, music, and big smiles.
This day was made possible through the efforts of the Project Leader, Naim Teyrouz, and different generous contributors. Markit World - Lebanon sponsored the ingredients to make 150 burger meals and Sanadak, an independent youth initiative aiming to help the community, volunteered to create the smiles by arriving in clown costumes bringing loud speakers, face painting, and beautiful energy and support.
Career Orientation Workshop
Our members visited Afel for a Career Orientation Workshop to share each of their unique stories and experiences that shaped their lives and careers today.
Afel's programs include caring for children directly by providing a shelter home for abused children, an after-school safe center, a remedial school, a youth club and a summer camp.
The club's members came together in a project led by Georges Chami and shared each of their unique stories and experiences that shaped their lives and careers today in an orientation workshop for underprivileged adolescents at the Afel Children Center on Saturday, 26th of November. The career tracks the members represented included engineering, law, nutrition, PR and marketing, architecture, entrepreneurship, and, a career that turned out to be most popular, a career as a professional rugby player! After each of the members' presentations, the children asked questions and discussed their options one on one at interactive application stations.
We presented to children who were seeking better opportunities at life what their options can potentially be and that by aiming high and working hard, the sky’s the limit !
Polio Campaign
As part of Rotary International's End Polio Campaign, Mansour Farah, a polio survivor, reflects on his journey with polio and how it has affected his life in a video detailing his experience.
A heartfelt thank you to Mr Mansour for sharing his story and to his daughter, Joanna Maria Farah, a De Beyrouth family member, for allowing us a glimpse into their life and taking us a step further towards ending polio.
Click here to watch Mr Mansour's interview and hear his story.
Poliomyelitis is a highly infectious disease that most commonly affects children under the age of 5.
Most know it as poliovirus.
The virus is spread person to person, typically through contaminated water. It can attack the nervous system, and in some instances, lead to paralysis. Although there is no cure, there is a safe and effective vaccine – one which Rotary and our partners use to immunize over 2.5 billion children worldwide.
Unless we eradicate polio, within 10 years, as many as 200,000 new cases could occur around the world each year. In the past few years, only two countries have reported cases of polio caused by the wild virus, but no child anywhere is safe until we’ve vaccinated every child.
The Pink Challenge
For the month of October, we launched The Pink Challenge to lead a trail of awareness across the clubs of Lebanon through a series of social media challenges.
Throughout the month, we challenged different clubs to share facts and stories regarding breast cancer that would raise awareness on the importance of early detection and keeping ourselves and our loved ones informed and safe.
Mental Health Check
On the occasion of World Mental Health Day, our Director of the Community Service Committee, Celeste Saad, took the opportunity to remind the members to ask themselves how they are feeling.
There are days that are light, and others when we feel weighed down. This served as a reminder that we are a community that always listens to one another and is there to support each other.
Don’t forget to always talk about your problems, struggles, and wins with someone you trust can help you!
You don’t have to do this alone.
DeBey♡Community Service
I love you Xx
Beyond Art
We believe that everyone has the right to treatment no matter his/her financial circumstances. Continuously creating an impact on the ground, we collaborated with the Children's Cancer Center of Lebanon (CCCL) to support the treatment of three kids. It all started with the following question: “What tool is better than art to spread hope?” It leads to a collective effort and much more than a simple event. “Beyond Art” was initiated by contacting more than 50 local artists, designers, and producers. Some of them lent a hand without hesitation, namely: Tom Young, Mira El Khalil, Manuella Guiragossian, and 19 more artists. Alongside these talented artists, we came up with the “kids for kids” initiative in which 7 children volunteered to create small paintings that translated hope. We collected more than a hundred artworks that were presented in an exhibition at Arthaus, a boutique hotel in Beirut. The opening ceremony of "Beyond Art" took place on the 10th of December 2021 featuring Shaun Agostine, an internationally renowned award-winning pianist and composer. He played some of his unique and touching compositions and left the audience speechless. More than 80 people attended the opening ceremony and supported this initiative, including: Rotarians and Rotaractors from across Lebanon, the district team, CCCL representatives, and distinguished guests. This exhibition lasted for three consecutive days (11, 12 , and 13th of December 2021) and was filled with support, hope and unity with more than 300 attendees. The support received during these dire circumstances we are enduring were exceptional – we were able to sell different artworks and raise $6,150 for the treatment of three kids. As such, this project focused on disease prevention and treatment. This exhibition was filled with stories, emotions, words, and thoughts. But most importantly, it was filled with hope and unity. This exhibition proved that change can happen when we are all united to support a specific cause. These three days were magical, unforgettable, and exceeded all expectations. Beyond Art, that's what those three days were all about.
Sign, Pass, Shoot
On Saturday the 23rd of October 2021, The Lebanese Deaf Sporting Club taught Rotaract Club De Beyrouth Sign language and made them realize that all kinds of languages have one common denominator - the love for understanding. They then played against each other basketball games using the Sign language acquired. Rotaract Club De Beyrouth shedded light and raised awareness on the potential that such inspiring and outstanding individuals have. The goal of our event was to help the members of The Lebanese Deaf Sporting Club feel more integrated in our society and not let their differences stand in their way of achieving daily sports activities such as basketball. Their ability and determination succeeds over all challenges they constantly face.
Cook for a Cause
In collaboration with Mission Village, we spent our Saturday morning cooking delicious food to be packed and distributed to less fortunate families. From 8 AM till 1 PM, energy was over the top with the incredible teamwork done to make sure families in need have a warm meal. We were truly touched by this project and the impeccable impact a small initiative can make.
Beach Cleanup
On September 5th 2021, Rotaract Club De Beyrouth decided to participate in a beach clean-up in collaboration with SWIM, an NGO specialized in beach cleanups around Lebanon. Every group of people were assigned to a specific zone they had to clean. Once we arrived at our zone in Raouche, Beirut, we were shocked. Thousands of cigarette butts were thrown on the floor. This event triggered us to an extent that urged us to act upon it. As such, we decided to install cigarette bins in every corner of this beautiful corniche. These cigarette bins consisted of a voting game: a controversial question would be inserted on each cigarette bin and people would consequently vote by throwing their cigarette butts in the bin. Moreover, we wanted to portray sustainability which drove us to design our product using recycled plastic in collaboration with the environmental engineer Mr. Ziad Abi Chaker. Through this initiative, our goal is to reduce the amount of cigarette butts tossed in the streets, preserve our environment, encourage recycling, and spread awareness by promoting eco-friendly behavior. After all, it is our collective and individual responsibility to take care of our environment.
Orphanage Visit
Life’s persistent and most urgent question is, ‘what are you doing for others?’ On August 28th 2021, Rotaract Club De Beyrouth organized its very first orphanage visit of the year in Dar Al Aytam. Our day was filled with fun and interactive activities and games, cakes, love, and hope.