Though the world has seen great leaps in technology over the last few centuries, millions of people still face life-threatening health and economic hardships worldwide. Rotary exists to improve people’s lives by creating lasting solutions to complex and pressing problems that negatively impact the wellbeing of others.
With the purpose of tackling serious problems that prevent people from flourishing, Rotary prioritizes and categorizes its service and funding initiatives into 7 Areas of Focus:

Continue reading to learn about what each of the 7 Areas of Focus entail and how the Rotary Club of Lexington is doing to advance them.

Fighting Disease
We believe good health care is everyone’s right, yet 400 million people in the world can’t afford or don’t have access to basic health care.
This area of focus organizes Rotarians worldwide to combat diseases like malaria, HIV/AIDS, Alzheimer’s, multiple sclerosis, diabetes, and polio. Knowing prevention is the most effective means for reducing the prevalence of disease, Rotarians focus on solutions such as health education, routine medical care, disease reporting, and preventative medication.
This is demonstrated in Rotary International’s great strides in eradicating polio – a paralyzing and potentially deadly infectious disease. Since Rotary International’s first project of distributing preventative medication to children in the Philippines in 1979, Rotary International has reduced polio cases by 99.9 percent. The approach for eradicating the virus has evolved from distributing preventative medication to testing and virus detection, data collection, and electronic reporting.
How Rotary Club of Lexington is Fighting Disease
With some members in the Rotary Club of Lexington having witnessed the effect polio had on their communities, our club is still active in supporting the fight against polio. We conduct fundraisers throughout the year to raise money to support initiatives to eradicate polio abroad. One of our signature and most engaging fundraisers is the Spin to Win the Fight Against Polio where fellow Rotarian, Jenny Schnurr, leads a spin class with the purpose of raising donations to combat polio. In 2023, the Rotary Club of Lexington raised $3,858 and was matched 2:1, with a total impact of $11,574, through this fundraiser!

Providing Clean Water
Clean water, sanitation, and hygiene education are basic necessities for a healthy environment and a productive life.
Clean water, sanitation, and hygiene education are basic necessities for a healthy environment and a productive life. When people have access to clean water and sanitation, waterborne diseases decrease, children stay healthier and attend school more regularly, and mothers can spend less time carrying water and more time helping their families. Through water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) programs, Rotary’s people of action mobilize resources, form partnerships, and invest in infrastructure and training that yield long-term change.
How Rotary Club of Lexington is Providing Clean Water
The Rotary Club of Lexington and internationally partnering clubs from London, England, and Nigeria, with support from Rotary District 6740, was awarded a Rotary Foundation Global Grant totaling $175,000. In 2025, The Rotary Club of Lexington will be installing septic systems in Leslie County, Kentucky, or to connect homes to the Hyden Leslie County Kentucky Water District waterline. Eastern Kentucky has some of the poorest water quality in the United States. This Global Grant will greatly improve their quality of life for generations to come.

Growing Local Economies
Nearly 800 million people live on less than $1.90 a day.
Nearly 800 million people live on less than $1.90 a day. Rotary members are passionate about providing sustainable solutions to poverty. Rotarians work to strengthen local entrepreneurs and community leaders, particularly women, in impoverished communities. We provide training and access to well-paying jobs and financial management institutions.

Supporting Education
More than 775 million people over the age of 15 are illiterate.
That’s 17 percent of the world’s adult population. Our goal is to strengthen the capacity of communities to support basic education and literacy, reduce gender disparity in education, and increase adult literacy. We support education for all children and literacy for children and adults.
How Rotary Club of Lexington is Supporting Education
In 2022, the Rotary Club of Lexington pledged to donate $100,000 to form Children’s Learning Space at the Gatton Park on the Town Branch.

Saving Mothers and Children
Rotary makes high-quality health care available to vulnerable mothers and children so they can live longer and grow stronger.
We expand access to quality care, so mothers and children everywhere can have the same opportunities for a healthy future. An estimated 5.9 million children under the age of five die each year because of malnutrition, inadequate health care, and poor sanitation — all of which can be prevented.
How Rotary Club of Lexington is Saving Mothers and Children
Every month during the Fayette County school year, several members of the Rotary Club of Lexington donate their time to volunteer at God’s Pantry to help pack and deliver backpacks with packaged foods and groceries for children facing food insecurity. With the service conducted at God’s Pantry and efforts through other local food insecurity initiatives, the Rotary Club of Lexington packed and delivered over 3,800 backpacks of packaged food and groceries for children each year.

Protecting the Environment
Rotary shares an interest in protecting our common legacy: the environment.
We are committed to supporting activities that strengthen the conservation and protection of natural resources, advance ecological sustainability, and foster harmony between communities and the environment. We empower communities to access grants and other resources, embrace local solutions, and spur innovation in an effort to address the causes and reduce the effects of climate change and environmental degradation.
How Rotary Club of Lexington is Protecting the Environment
One of our most vibrant initiatives is our club’s pollinator garden. Rotary Club of Lexington partnered with LFUCG Parks & Recreation to bring pollinators back into Lexington’s public parks. The members of Rotary Club of Lexington are responsible for cultivating and maintaining a 0.8-acre linear pollinator garden which includes over 20 species of native plants. The garden is located at Kenawood Park, 612 Bryanwood Parkway, Lexington, KY 40505.

Promoting Peace
Today, over 70 million people are displaced as a result of conflict, violence, persecution, and human rights violations.
Today, over 70 million people are displaced as a result of conflict, violence, persecution, and human rights violations. Half of them are children. We refuse to accept conflict as a way of life. Rotary projects provide training that fosters understanding and provides communities with the skills to resolve conflicts.
How Rotary Club of Lexington is Promoting Peace
Every year, our club members host the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) for Fayette County students. RYLA is an intensive leadership experience where students develop skills as a leader while having fun and making connections. Among building communication, problem-solving skills, and leadership skills, the RYLA curriculum emphasizes the need for navigating conflict and disagreements with peace.
In addition to promoting peace through RYLA, Rotary Club of Lexington members participate in local civic marches and parades such as the Martin Luther King Day march.