Rotary Sunrise Recognized for Its Literacy Month Gifts
Literacy Director Su Mander has been busy this past week and grateful to have help from several Sunrise Rotarians as 420 dictionaries are distributed to Year 5 students in various public schools to mark Rotary Literacy Month. PP Winston, Education Councillor, spoke at Red Bay Public School about the importance of literacy in order for every young person to achieve their personal goals.
Sunrise Rotarians are thankful to the teachers and staff who juggled busy schedules during these first few weeks of school in order to accommodate the dictionary distribution in places like Red Bay Primary School, where the children were happy to pose with their new reference books.
Several media outlets covered some aspect of Rotary Sunrise to mark Literacy Month, whether it was the Adopt-a-Library program at Bodden Town Primary School, the dictionary distribution, or the other activities the club will undertake to promote literacy such as the “Buy a Kid a Book” program, school debates, classroom reading, and the Butterfly Storybook essay competition.
Students at Edna Moyle Primary School in North Side pose with their dictionaries, distributed late last week. This week, dictionaries are being handed out in Savannah, George Town, Prospect and at Sir John A. Cumber Primary School in West Bay.
Rotarians Needed to Help with Scrabble Event in 2 Weeks
LIFE (Literacy Is For Everyone, the non-profit created by Sunrise Rotarians three years ago) is planning its second annual Scrabble Scrum fundraiser in conjunction with International Literacy Month. The fun competition will take place on Tuesday evening, 29 September, starting at 6:00pm at Abacus in Camana Bay.
The fundraiser helps support various literacy programs in select Grand Cayman schools and helps reduce reliance on Rotary Sunrise for much of LIFE’s annual budget. Rotary and Rotaract volunteers played a key role in the success of last year’s inaugural event, where teams of six players –usually employees of the teams’ sponsors—compete in a fast-paced variation of the board game. Teammates work together in a limited period to create a board filled with high-value words, incorporating bonus words and working around twists such as confiscated letter tiles! Further twists are planned this year to keep the teams on their toes.
Event organizers need your help in two areas: help recruit players by asking local business to sponsor a team for a $500 donation to LIFE, or be a volunteer who helps add up the game boards or perform other duties to make the evening go smoothly.
Director Patrick Kreitlow imported the event to LIFE after helping create it for a literacy organization in Wisconsin. See him if you can assist with volunteering or recruiting teams. We need a lot of bodies to make it work and appreciate your willingness to be part of a fun evening that benefits literacy.
Rex Creighton: Real Estate Pioneer and Community Philanthropist
Mr. Rex Crighton, MBE, an Honorary Member of Rotary Sunrise, passed away Monday. He was the patriarch of a family that has been involved in Cayman Islands real estate since the early 1960s. More recent generations also associated Mr. Crighton with the family’s Christmas lights display and community generosity. His family donated the land for our park in Spotts. Mr. Crighton received an MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) in 2008. A Cayman Reporter news article credits Crighton with being responsible for businesses that have sold more than 5,000 house lots worth a total of US$350 million.
Remember: If you cannot serve on your assigned week, you are responsible for finding a substitute. And, if you do have a substitute, please notify Frank and Patrick so that the newsletter has the correct assignments. Thank you!
After an update from Christopher Bowring on the Disaster Relief Fund, President Christine made the official check presentation to reaffirm the Rotary Sunrise commitment to ensuring that disaster recovery in the Cayman Islands is financially supported BEFORE the next crisis occurs.
VP Gina McBryan reports a large positive response to her update last week on a proposal to form a community-based Interact Club. She is asking anyone with questions or concerns to seek her out for further information that she can bring to a future board meeting as these discussions continue.
Always thankful for our visitors and guests! We appreciate Mark & Cheryl Dean-Thompson and everyone who brightens our mornings!
From Rotarian Steve Sokohl: "I have confirmed contributions of US$3,200 for my participation in the Polar Bear Plunge. My goal is to raise US$20,000. All monies raised in Cayman will be donated to Rotary Sunrise, so if you wish to support my stupidity for jumping in freezing cold water in January 2016, please feel free to do so please send me an email if you wish to support me!
If you have ordered Rotary shirts, you have received an email with the total amount of your order. Please make payment as soon as you’re able to Rotarian Alison Shirlaw. See Director Patrick if you have questions about your order. Thank you!
Meeting Make-Up Information
Make-ups: In addition to make-up opportunities at Rotary Sunrise, you can make up absences at another Club in Grand Cayman. The meeting times and places for the other Clubs are:
Rotary Club of Grand Cayman Central:
Tuesdays 7:30pm at the GT Yacht Club Restaurant for the rest of September
Rotaract Blue:
Wednesdays 6:00pm at Royal Palms Beach Club Restaurant
Rotaract Club of Grand Cayman: Thursdays 7:00am at Treats Cafe, West Shore Plaza
Rotary Club of Grand Cayman:
Thursdays 12:30pm at the GT Yacht Club Restaurant for the rest of September
Rotary E-Club of the Caribbean 7020: Online meetings anytime. Visit the new e-club platform at
If members are unable to make a regular weekly meeting or Rotary event, make-ups can be done online. The e-Club website is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You just need to spend a minimum of 30 minutes on the site and answer some questions to get the make up certificate.
Traveling: If you are going to be traveling for an extended period of time (more than two weeks), be sure to let the Secretary know and remember to submit any make-ups you do in a timely manner.
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