Business owner Frank Holguin was looking for an organization where he could feel comfortable and pursue his desire to give back to the community.

He's found that with the Fresno Latino Rotary Club.

The organization is the first of its kind in the San Joaquin Valley and one of only a handful in the state, possibly the nation. A majority of its members are Hispanic, and many are bilingual.

"I think this group really bridges the gap for those of us who want to help out, especially in education," said Holguin, co-owner of Holguin Construction. "Being around this group of people is also great motivation."

The newest chapter of the worldwide service club was chartered June 23 and launched by business professionals, educators and civic leaders who shared an interest in giving, especially within the Hispanic community.

"This is just like any other Rotary but with a Latino flavor," said educator Mark Wilson. "The rules are all the same. We just sometimes speak in Spanish."

Led by Jose Antonio Ramirez, former head of the Firebaugh-Mendota Rotary, the group has 32 charter members and is working on several projects, including donating a firetruck to Mexico, helping to restore Rotary Playland and donating $300 to Mario G. Olmos Elementary School in Fresno.

Ramirez said several club members also donated $300 to $400 to several families whose relatives were caught during immigration sweeps earlier this year.

Holguin said he hopes to assist minority students enrolled in Fresno State's engineering program.

While Ramirez said some may question the need for a Latino Rotary, he believes the more Rotary members serving the community the better.

"There haven't been a lot of Latinos joining Rotary because there hasn't been that connection of language and culture; but now there is," said Ramirez, who is also Firebaugh's city manager. "This is not about creative divisiveness. This is about promoting good will."

Rotary Club members acknowledge the need for diversity.

Although the organization does not track members' racial or ethnic background, its members are overwhelmingly male, 78%, and a majority between the ages of 50 to 69.

Worldwide, Rotary has 1.2 million members in nearly 170 countries. It has 384,000 members in the United States.

"All Rotary clubs share a key mission: to serve their home communities and those in need throughout the world," said Donna McDonald, manager of the membership development division of Rotary International.

"The ideal composition of a Rotary club reflects the community's demographics, including professions, gender, age and ethnicity. Such diversity enriches every aspect of the club's fellowship and service."

Don Kremer, former governor of Rotary District 5230 that oversees Fresno's clubs, is doing his part to increase the number of new members.

District 5230 includes Monterey, Fresno, Kings and Tulare counties.

In that district, Kremer estimated that 1% to 2% of the members are Hispanic.

"Some join, but they don't stay," Kremer said. "And I think it has to do with a feeling of being less than comfortable. But we are working on that."

Kremer helped oversee Fresno Latino's charter and a Korean club in Monterey.

"The fact is there are a lot of leaders in these communities who want to serve," Kremer said. "And we have an obligation to provide the structure to allow that to happen. It doesn't matter what language people speak, as long as in their heart they want to serve the community. We have to open our minds and our doors."