Vocational Service 2009-2010: “October is Rotary Vocational Service Month”

1. Recognize and focus on the high ethical standards in all occupations we share in our club and the opportunity we have to share our vocations and values with others to make this community and this world a better place.
2. Distribution of and review of “The Four-Way Test”, “The Story of The Four-Way Test”, “The Object of Rotary” and “Declaration of Rotarians in Business and Professions”.
3. Weekly 5-minute speaker on one of the four components of the Four-Way Test:
   
   1. Is it the TRUTH?
   2. Is it FAIR to all concerned?
   3. Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?
   4. Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?

4. Weekly visual display of the business cards of our club members to exhibit the breadth and diversity of our professions from furniture refinishers, to lawyers, to hardware sales, to realtors, to finance managers.

• POSITIVE RESULTS OF PROJECTS: Educated members on the details behind the Four –Way test and encourage business professionals to “Put Rotary to Work Where You Work (and live)”.
• WHAT MAKES THIS PROJECT UNIQUE, INNOVATIVE, IMAGINATIVE, AND/OR OF VALUE FOR CLUBS TO REPLICATE?: This was a historical and detailed review of the history of core Rotary components which was illustrated with the personal testimony of club members sharing their stories of how they apply the ethics of Rotary in their professional and personal endeavors.

Mission San Rafael Rotary Partnered with San Rafael Canal Alliance and developed
"Canal Business Idol 2010”

GOALS FOR PROJECT: Each of the 60 competitors in "Canal Business Idol" - all middle- and high-school participants in the Canal Alliance after school program - drafted a plan for their dream business, creating a mission statement, identifying their target market and explaining what their business would require in terms of retail space and personnel. They also created Web sites, business cards and online commercials to market their companies.

The 20 finalists in the program provided PowerPoint presentations describing their businesses to the competition's judges and an audience of more the 150 people. Twelve winners - six middle and six high school students - received additional consulting sessions, a session with mentors to discuss the financial viability of their projects, and the opportunity to make their ideas a reality with a grant of up to $1,000.

The competition, part of a nine-month Canal Alliance Young Entrepreneurs Project, was an opportunity for the participants to develop writing, technology and public speaking skills. The local newspaper Marin Independent Journal featured an article with pictures in their hard copy and on their internet site. Canal students make pitches for their businesses

The focus was to share opportunities for youth from lower socio-economic environments wit the involvment from business professionals from various categories focusing on realistic and sustainable business planning from and for youths.

Mission San Rafael Rotary worked with San Rafael Canal Alliance Development Director Janice Vela, Business and Development Coordinator Omar Carrera, James Wiley, Sheila Torres, and other professionals and Rotarians including Keith Axtell.