Seoul Rotary Club head vows to restore volunteer spirit

Seoul Rotary Club President Andrew Lee serves the homeless and the elderly free dinners at the Seoul Station Free Meal Center on Sept. 17, 2014. / Courtesy of the Seoul Rotary Club

By Kim Hyo-jin

Andrew Lee, 58, an asset manager, has taken office as president of the Seoul Rotary Club, one of the nation’s longest running organizations for voluntary work, on July 8.

Lee said the main goal of his one-year term is to recapture the club’s original volunteer spirit.

“We are here for the community. I’m determined to restore our identity as a club for voluntary work,” Lee told The Korea Times during an interview on Sunday.

“People have misperceptions that Rotarians mainly focus on human networking. Though it is not true, it’s hard to deny that the club is facing an identity crisis.”

The new leader believes that his role is to regenerate the club’s momentum by awakening members’ spirit. His Korean name is Lee Sung-moon.

“I’m planning to recruit more young people, who can work with our original motto, ‘Service above self.’”

Established in 1927, the Seoul Rotary Club has been engaged in community-based service for the underprivileged for nearly a century.

The club has about 60 members, mostly senior citizens, with a variety of backgrounds and professions.

As a move to hand down the club leadership to a younger generation, the former president established the “Seoul Young Leaders Satellite Club,” which consists of 60 young professionals under the age of 35.

The move to bring in new blood is expected to continue under Lee’s leadership.

As the only English-speaking club of the 1,600 Rotary Clubs in Korea, its membership is not only open to Koreans. People of international backgrounds are welcome to join, the new president said.

The club’s voluntary work also has no limit, he added.

Rotarians serve food for the homeless at Seoul Station several times a month. They provide financial support for single mothers, physically and mentally challenged people and spend time with them, which Lee says is much-needed part of community service.

In May, they went camping for two days with ten heads of households. They had a band play at a homeless center last month, which Lee said was memorable.

“Dancing with us, they seemed happy. For those who are deprived of entertainment, doing things together is really important,” Lee said.

Joining the club in the year 2000 with a passion for service, Lee has worked hard as a director to encourage its members to engage in more voluntary work and donation activities. It raised $40 million for donations to the quake-hit Nepal in April.

The Rotary International was established in 1905 by American lawyer Paul Harris in Chicago. The club was launched with a goal of effective community service projects. Now, it has 1.2 million members around the world in more than 200 nations.

For more information about the club, visit www.seoulrotary.com or email to seroulrc@gmail.com. Its phone number is (02) 785-7975.