Chris Sweeney has been a member of Rotary International for about eleven years. His background was in education, teaching in a variety of schools, before establishing his own IT business in 1995.

Using his background in education, Chris’s business initially concentrated on computer training for business users, but following repeated requests from clients, he expanded into building computers. As the Internet started to develop, the same clients started to want websites, so the business expanded.

Personal circumstances dictated change and now the business concentrates solely on hosting and designing websites.

Chris joined Rotary partly due to its international nature; having worked in an international school, he missed that element and has always been conscious that Rotary exists ‘beyond the town boundaries’. He has always been a believer in ‘the more you put into something, the more you get out’ and has played a full part in Rotary, holding a number of club posts, followed by district committee membership then chairman and is currently the webmaster for RIBI.

He was club president in 2002-03 and awarded a Paul Harris Fellowship in 2001. He joined ROTI in 1999 following a recommendation from a member within District 1180 and has served on the board for several terms.

During Rotary’s Centenary year, he started hosting Rotary club websites, on the principle that clubs make an annual donation of $50US direct to The Rotary Foundation specifically for polio eradication.

Chris recognised that many clubs did not have the expertise within its membership to design and maintain a website, so he created a ‘template’ site, with clubs using the template donating $100US for its use. These sites raise over $3,000 each year for polio eradication and clubs are still able to host their ‘own design’ sites. However, it was this principle that led to him being offered the post of ‘Hon. Web Editor’ for RIBI – a post he accepted on the condition he could develop a template system for clubs within RIBI to use. This template system has become incredibly popular, with over 600 clubs and 14 districts using it and donating to The Rotary Foundation for its use. To date, it has raised about $130,000US.

Recognising that the original template site was looking ‘dated’ Chris is in the process of redesigning the original template site (www.rotary-site.org) to work in a similar way to the RIBI system. The design reflects the new Rotary International site, thus helping create a ‘corporate look’ for Rotary Clubs. Through a number of ROTI volunteers, it is hoped that the new template will be available in a several languages. In addition to Rotary Clubs, the template site will also be available for Rotary projects, Inner Wheel, Interact, Rotaract and Probus clubs, thus giving it a broader appeal and hopefully raising more money!

Chris lives in Llandudno, Conwy, with his wife and four children.

Back to the BreadBasket Menu