2003-2004 Outgoing President's Message

Master of Ceremonies
President-Elect Noel
Hon Custos & Mrs Nelson
Dep Mayor and Mrs. Davis
Our Guest Speaker mr. Patrick Hylton
Other Members of the Head Table
Past Presidents in Attendance
My Fellow Rotarians, Friends, and All the Family of Rotary,

It seems just the other day that I was installed as president. It’s hard to believe that a whole year has gone by. It has been fun. It has been an honor and privilege to serve as President of the Rotary Club of Montego Bay East.

Last Year RI President Jonathan Majiyagbe asked us all to “Lend a Hand” in our club, our community, our vocation, and our world. I am deeply grateful to so many people who reached out to lend a Hand and to make this year such a success. And from the District Conference in Haiti I became quite aware of just how much of a Difference Rotary can make.

With a Great Team behind me we started to “Lend a Hand” to the various avenues that we could, and now that the year is over I reflect on our accomplishments, and not that we couldn’t have done more, am very satisfied that in the spirit of rotary we gave service above self.

Under Club Service, The Year started with the Installation Magazine which outlined the History of our Club. We have had a 13% increase in Membership Growth moving our membership from 31 to 35 members. We also had 3 fellowship nights. Our Annual Bikeathon made it back on the calendar and was very successful, Grossing just over J$ 1Million, and Netting just over ½ a Million.

Under Community Service- we assisted numerous areas namely, Clothing to the Poor-through the Salvation Army, Shoes to the Orphans of St. James, The Dental Volunteer Program assisting over 200 persons, A Wheelchair Lift, Surgical Tools, a Defibrillator and a Diabetes Monitor to The Cornwall Regional Hospital, The Re-roofing of the Spring Mount Basic School, The Expansion, Upgrading, and Modernisation of the Flankers Health Centre-for which we have raised J$675,000 to start-Thanks to The Rotary Clubs of Chowchilla, and Nashua, and 280 Wheelchairs to the disabled people of Western Jamaica a total contribution to our community of over JMD$5,000,000.00-And we have been promised another container of Wheelchairs shortly.

Under Vocational Service we gave a Career Talk to the students of the Montego Bay Community College, and we awarded 3 Education Scholarships.

And Finally under International Service we committed USD$2000 to the Rotary Foundation, we partnered with The Twin City Program, and Hosted the Rotary Foundation Dinner which was very well received. We hosted the North Carolina GSE Team, and we also played host to The Rotary District 7020 Conference and Assembly here in Montego Bay. …….Mention about what USD$1000 can do I this world.

All in all it was a very rewarding, fulfilling, and challenging year. My best wished to the New Administration and may we continue to “Lend a Hand” to Mankind as we “Celebrate Rotary”. It would be remiss of me, as President, not to say a few words about Rotary International, and its Worldwide goals.

We must realize that along with the many responsibilities that each of us has to our clubs and our districts, we also have important responsibilities to the whole of Rotary International. As Rotarians it is our duty to Lend a Hand in support of Rotary International’s long-term goals – goals that span the centuries.

Those long-term goals can be summed up as one all-encompassing objective, eloquently expressed by John F. Kennedy, who said that: “We must seek above all a world of peace in which peoples dwell together in mutual respect and work together in mutual regard.”

We have been working together in mutual regard to eradicate polio, and next year we must run those final yards in the race to eradicate this disease – and those last steps will be uphill.

Rotary has been a key player in an unprecedented global health initiative – and we have played a major role in reducing polio cases by 99 percent since the start of the PolioPlus campaign. The remaining pockets of the disease harbor a cunning opportunist – the wild poliovirus that has the power to undo everything we have achieved.

We must not let down our guard, and we cannot cut corners. The most obvious reason, of course, is that we never want to see another child suffer from a devastating disease that is absolutely preventable. But there are other reasons, too.

In our fight against polio, we have gained knowledge that can be applied to future health concerns. We have created the tools and the strategies to get vaccine to children in isolated regions. We have formed public-private partnerships that support the health programs of national governments. We have bolstered the worldwide laboratory network, a network that will support disease surveillance efforts in the future.

And perhaps most importantly, the PolioPlus campaign has inspired warring nations to lay down their arms so that their children can be immunized.

As we prepare to finish our first century of service and enter into a new century of success, let us honor the rich traditions of our past, work toward achieving our goals in the present, and make our dreams of the future a reality.

In the words of Eleanor Roosevelt, that great American first lady who worked for peace and on behalf of needy people everywhere – “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”

Who has dreams more beautiful than those that we, as Rotarians, share?
My friends – Rotary’s first hundred years have been much like the cycle of the four seasons. The ideals of fellowship and service were planted and they grew into an organization of 1.2 million members worldwide – serving others through the many programs of Rotary International and The Rotary Foundation. We have reaped the rich rewards of that growth and we have taken the time for mature contemplation of our past successes and our future goals.

Now, an energetic new cycle begins. Now is a time of fresh inspiration. Now, we look at our world with wonder and with joy – because we know deep in our hearts that in this season of rebirth all things are possible.

And so, let, us work together in this new rotary year as we Celebrate Rotary.

And now is the time to Recognise & Honour those Rotarians who truly gave service above self. And to assist me I’ll call upon……

Leroy Peart-4 Ave of Service Award.
VP. Suresh
Secretary-Winston
Treasurer-Peter
Sergeant-at-arms
Club Service Director-CP. George
Community Services Director-Rtn. terry
Vocational Services Director-PP Dwain
International Services Director-Rtn. Gopal
President-Elect-Rtn. Noel Whyte
Attendance Chairman-Rtn. Tony
District Conference Chairman-PADG-PP Lee Bailey-
Wheelchair Distribution Committee-Rtn. Keith Graham
Bikeathon Chairman-Rt. Nathan Robb

Outstanding Service-Galba Bright-Guest Speakers, Judith Bailey-District Conference, Dr. Angella Samuels-Bikeathon.

Rotarians of the Year-PP Govind Chulani, & Rt. Terry leslie.

Haresh L. Ramchandani, Outgoing President

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See Proposed Community Service Activities 2003 - 04