Vocational Service has a wide-ranging ability to significantly and positively influence people and organizations through the Palo Alto Rotary Club.  Vocational Services is a strong, powerful, human driving force which enables our Rotary Club to leverage its influence on individual’s work and careers.  Vocational Service calls every Rotarian to:

Our "vocations" (from the Latin vocare meaning "to call") tap into our emotions, beliefs, values, skills, talents and strengths.  Our vocations might be considered the "life blood" of most people, regardless of where they are on the planet.  But this personal calling, this personal vocation of an individual, is a gift to Rotary which binds Rotarians together, and might even be considered the foundation for the success of all Rotary programs.

 

At Rotary meetings, we introduce ourselves with our name and classification (vocation) which helps identify us to others about "who we are" and "what we do." Our "work" is a common denominator of humanity around the globe- regardless of political system or culture or religious faith.  Our vocation gives us the ethical means to provide for our families, to build self-esteem within ourselves, and to contribute to community. We feel good when we are able to do the work that we were meant to do.

 

When we realize the “gift” we have received, which gives us joy when we are able to utilize it, there is often a natural response to “give back.”  From that common point, Rotarians may see how our vocations, our calling, can help build friendships and business relations with fellow Rotarians, but it also allows us, perhaps more importantly, to serve others in building healthy communities and ethical leaders.  We are only limited by our vision (what opportunities for improvement we distinguish) and by our creative responses.

 

Vocational Services can be a powerful channel or Avenue of Service to help make opportunities to improve ourselves, to improve our communities, to help “build” the character of our youth, and to make our vocation (our work) more rewarding and fulfilling.
A job: something needing to be done.  A task.  A person is paid for doing it.
A career: work than an individual prefers to do.
Vocation: a “calling” where work is transformed from “having to do it” to “wanting to do it.”  This work, in response to “the call,” is the most fulfilling of any labor.  Every person has a desire to do some craft, some planning, some leading, some following, or some skill or talent that they were “given” by the higher power.  They were born with that “call.”  True happiness comes when we are able to make a living following that “call.”