Business Meeting Highlights
Last Week's Headlines from a Busy Club
International Service
Pat Steward reported that anyone who ordered prints of Guaruna photographs will soon be able to take possession as Renzo is picking them up in Miami. Rotary water projects are continuing in Zambia and in Cambodia; and Rotary Sunrise is teaming up with U.S. and Australian Rotary Clubs to sponsor a water project in Mexico. The International Service committee is identifying new projects for the Kiva microloan program. This is the first year Rotary Sunrise has contributed toward an RCGC reading project in Guatemala, and the committee continues to monitor a CALS literacy program in Belize.
Literacy
Woody Foster provided a (nearly) year-end review of the year's programs and budget. The bulk of the committee's budget is used to finance LIFE (a Rotary Sunrise creation) for its successful intervention programs. A new CALS program is being started at HMP-Northward with pre-testing of the student inmates to be done shortly. The Fred Speirs Memorial Inter-School Debate competition will conclude on July 1 with the championship debate between Layman Scott HS and St. Ignatius HS. (Moot: The Cayman Islands should set a date for independence from the UK to be no later than 2025.) Woody also gave updates on a grant for a special reading program at Layman Scott HS, progress on securing new dictionaries for 7th Grade students, success in the Buy-a-Kid-a-Book fundraiser held during Literacy Month, and the purchase of Butterfly Storybooks written by students who won honors in the essay contest.
Communications
Members are reminded to "Like" our Facebook pages to view the many photos taken during the District Conference held in Montego Bay, Jamaica.
Community Service
Dierdre McFarlane summarized the committee's contributions and activities for 2014-15: Community Christmas parties for children, the Pines Retirement Home birthday party, NCVO telethon, the annual health fair (with 35 Rotary volunteers), a $2,000 contribution to the special drug court, an annual contribution to the hurricane relief fund, and a donation of used computers to the Frances Bodden Girls Home. There was also a road cleanup project with RCGC and an Earth Day roadside cleanup. Other donations went to Rotaract, the crisis centre and the Department of Children and Family Services. Upcoming projects may include the construction of benches for the Chemo Unit at the George Town Hospital and the Smith Barcadere beach, with thanks to A.L. Thompson for donating the necessary materials.
Youth Service
Ivanna Faltysova summarized some of the Youth Services activities which included funds for Junior Achievemet, Rotaract functions, and an EarlyAct program at George Town Primary School. A donation to Cadet Corps helped 10 kids spend three days in a Jamaican rain forest activity. The committee also set up a successful recycling campaign in some of the schools which included student-created posters, student speeches, and a bake sale to buy recycling bins for classrooms. The bins are now overflowing with material that won't be put in the landfill! Ivanna is seeking prizes to give to the best classroom taking part in the program.
Rotary Foundation
PP Hendrik van Genderen reported that it was a successful year for donations to the Foundation and to the fight against polio. The Bed Race was also a success, but they are still waiting on Rotary Central to provide the final fundraising numbers. He asked all members to continue donating to the Foundation thru Every Rotarian Every Year (EREY) which is the extra $84 (US$100) added to club dues. This year our Club received a banner for 100% member participation to The Foundation. He also gave an update on a community benefit for earthquake victims in Nepal.
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