The State's first university based Rotoract club was launched recently at UL. Rotoract is the young people's version of the Rotary Club and caters for people aged between 18 and 25 years. Rotary is a community service organisation which operates on a voluntary basis in more than 163 countries throughout the world. There are over 70 branches of Rotary in Ireland, enjoying a total membership of just under 3,000. UL's Rotoract Club has been established as a result of a co-operation between the Limerick Thomond Rotary Club and the university's Outreach Club. Outreach was set up two years ago to enable UL students to become involved in community service.

At the outset, Outreach consisted of just 15 UL students, who were involved in a one-to-one reading scheme with students from St Enda's community school, Limerick. Today, the number of student volunteers has more than quadrupled and their activities have increased to include an extension of the reading scheme to St Kieran's boys school, Roxboro, and a range of fund-raising initiatives. This year, students will embark on a major project involving young people with cerebral palsy, who will visit the college to enjoy entertainments provided by the film, drama and music societies. Meanwhile, another group of Outreach/ Rotoract members will organise a rota of visits to sick and elderly people.

According to Siobhan O'Connell, president of UL's Rotoract/ Outreach club, it was a great honour for Outreach to be invited to become a Rotoract club. A major advantage for student members is the fact that Rotary can offer an invaluable network of contacts and support, at home and abroad. Benefits, however, are twoway. According to Pat Kearney, president of Limerick Thomond Rotary, the organisation is an ageing one - the average age of members is 57. "Encouraging university branches of Rotoract is a way of injecting new blood into Rotary. We hope that when they outgrow Rotoract they will continue their community involvement through Rotary," he says.