History

Rotarians In Service For Equality (RISE) was founded in July 2022. RISE is a cause based Rotary club focused on issues and concerns of the LGBTQIA+ community, and as such our membership is open to persons who share this interest. 

The post-pandemic world has revealed just how connected we can be without a geographic center: our club is one of the first handful of Rotary organizations to use video calls as our primary method of meeting. Leveraging Zoom, we welcome members from all across the United States. Our Rotary District is located in Southern California, and we are proud to be part of District 5280. While some of our events take place in the Los Angeles area, our club is primarily web based.

In our first year of existence, we accomplished the following:
  • Expanded our roster to include members from the Los the Angeles area and other parts of Southern California including San Diego and the Coachella Valley, and Phoenix, Denver, Houston and western Florida. 
  • Formed our intial bylaws, articles of incorporation, established a budget, and aligned with Rotary International and District 5280 requirements.
  • Created a social media presence utilizing a database/data management software and creating this website.
  • Recevied our first community grant.  This grant serviced youths at risk or actually homeless in the Los Angeles area by providing holiday meals, regular ongoing meals (5000 meals), clothing, and support to over 40 unhoused youth.  
  • Held our first fundraiser.  The fundraiswer was a virtual screening of the movie, CURED.  It was attended by nearly 100 people and raised aproximately $3,700 for projects focused on LGBTQ+ youth at risk or actually homeless and on Oral History projects in variousl RISE represented geographies.
  • Hosted guests from organizations across RISE's membership area and included the Lavender Project, Rainbow Labs, Kaiser Foundation and others.  
 
Click here to learn more about Rotary as an organization