About UWR

Union West Rotary, part of Rotary International District 7680, is a service club organization whose membership is comprised of business and professional leaders who volunteer their time and talents to serve their local communities and the world.  Rotary’s motto is “Service Above Self.”

Union West Rotary, chartered April 2, 1996 with 33 members, serves the western townships of Jackson, Sandy Ridge, and Vance.  The Matthews-Mint Hill, Monroe, and Monroe/Union Breakfast provided sponsorship for Union West.  The club meets weekly at the Indian Trail Civic Building on Thursdays, 7:30am. 

Two major goals of rotary are to eradicate polio worldwide and support Alzheimer’s research.  Locally, Union West has sponsored numerous fundraising activities which benefit schools in the Indian Trail area, several non-profit agencies, and community projects, including Habitat for Humanity.  With the theme of literacy and encouraging children to read, Union West donated $25,000 to the Union West Regional Library for the children’s reading room and started the Rotary Reader Program.  The club continues to support library projects through donations of new books in honor of speakers, sponsoring enrichment programs, and breakfast with Santa.

A focus on youth is another major emphasis in Rotary.  Union West chartered and sponsored Interact Clubs at Sun Valley and Weddington High schools.  Interact is a club for students between the ages of 14 and 18 and models the values of Rotary, emphasizing service above self, high ethical standards, and the fellowship of working together for a common good.  Union West sponsors leadership scholarships for students through the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) program.  Union West has actively participated in the Rotary Youth Exchange program hosting students from Venezuela, Siberia, and Brazil.  While in the United States, they attended high school at Weddington, Sun Valley, and Porter Ridge.

In 2005, Union West Rotary started the first Christmas Parade in Indian Trail which has grown yearly and become a tradition.  Internationally, Union West supports the Rotary Foundation and has worked with an eye glasses program, SEEDS program, ShelterBoxes, and provided an ambulance for a poverty area in Jamaica.