Mandate and Governance
 
The Community Service Committee shall have authority to exercise its role and duties within the limits set out by the by-laws of the Rotary Club of Bowmanville and it's terms of reference.  The general mandate of the Community Service Committee shall be to conduct charitable activities on behalf of the Club.  This mandate shall normally be restricted to activities within Canada and shall normally focus on local, regional, and provincial jurisdictions.  In formulating its plans and making its decisions, the Community Service Committee shall keep Rotary International’s six (6) Areas of Focus in mind.  In addition, the Rotary Club of Bowmanville has a long tradition of focusing on children with special needs and it shall be within the mandate of the Community Service Committee to maintain this focus until such time as the Club membership formally requests a change in focus.
 
Decisions on funding requests before the committee and within its mandate shall be made through discussion and consensus of the committee members. For amounts greater than $500, consensus of a quorum is required.  Should a vote on a request be required, the committee chair shall conduct the vote and shall normally only vote to break a tie.  A record of committee decisions shall be maintained.  For amounts equal to or less than $500, a funding decision may be made by the Director and one other committee member.
 
Role and Duties
 
The Community Service committee shall be responsible for:
  • developing committee goals to achieve community service project goals for the coming year.
  • planning and conducting charitable projects on behalf of the Club that include needs assessments and evaluation of their effectiveness
  • working with other organizations, volunteers, and committee members to maximize the impact of the Club’s projects.
  • planning and implementing the annual Respite Care program.
  • planning and implementing the annual Christmas Party for children with special needs.
  • reviewing and evaluating on-going funding initiatives and determining if they should continue and, if so, determining the amount of funding to be allotted.
  • identifying opportunities for additional projects that will provide significant benefit to the community, be sustainable, and enhance the Club’s profile within the community.
  • evaluating requests for funding received by the Club and making decisions related to the acceptance or rejection of those requests.
  • determining the amount of funding to be allotted to requests that have been approved.
  • tracking requests for funding and maintaining a record of decisions made and amounts of funding allotted.
  • liaising with the Rookie committee, the Youth Service committee and the International Service committee to ensure a coordinated response to funding requests.
  • working toward achieving the goals set out in the Rotary International Presidential Citation.
The Community Service Committee may strike sub-committees as required; for example, a sub-committee to organize the children’s Christmas party or the Respite Care program.  Sub-committees shall be provided with a specific mandate and shall report to the committee as a whole.