President's Corner: President Lorraine E. Baa

My Fellow Rotarians:

I am honored and privileged to serve as your 33^rd President.  Thoughts of the coming year are cause for excitement and anticipation for all the work we will accomplish extending our outstanding record of service to this community.  I strongly believe that we can achieve much more as a team than any combination of our individual efforts.  I intend to stress and encourage us to work together to achieve our shared goals.

Our International President, Kalyan Banerjee has charged us all to live according to the theme “Reach Within to Embrace Humanity”.  To put it another way, I want us all to summon up all the good that dwells within our hearts and souls to make a real difference in the lives of those who need us.

As we Reach Within…let us be mindful of the Four Way Test….Is it the Truth?  Is it Fair to all concerned? Will it build goodwill and better friendships?  Will it be beneficial to all concerned?  Let us remember the Object of Rotary, and through it all let us hold fast to our high ethical standards in business and our professions.  We must strive to recognize the worthiness of all useful occupations and the dignifying of each Rotarian’s occupation as an opportunity to serve society.  Our goals must always be viewed through the prism of advancing International understanding, goodwill and peace through our enviable world fellowship of business and professional persons united in the ideal of service above self.   We already have a strong foundation that has been set by our Senior Rotarians on whose figurative broad shoulders we are privileged to stand and continue to pursue our commitment to humanity.  Above all else this is a promise we must keep!

My pride in being called to be the seventh woman to lead The Rotary Club of St. Thomas II is boundless. I also feel the burden of living up to the high standards and ideals of those who have gone before me.  We have done a superb job over the past thirty-two years in building upon a foundation laid strong and resilient by a dynamic succession of men and women who have led this club.  I am humbled by the task ahead and seek your advice, assistance and support as I give every bit of my energy and dedication to leading you well.  I am also confident that this team will continue to impact lives throughout our island, our territory, our region and our world, as our proud traditions reflect.  In the days and weeks ahead I will outline in detail the plans and projects  I intend to carry out this coming Rotary year.  One thing is for certain, we will do our utmost to make it a memorable and fun filled year as we come together and continue our proud legacy of service to others always above service to ourselves.

My prayer is that God will bless our club and keep us in His warm embrace! 

God Bless You All,

Lorraine Baa

President