On 2 July 2014 Dr. Rev. Melvin Turnbull Presented to the Rotary Club of Road Town Seven (7) characteristics of a good servant (Rotarian)

A servant: 

1. Cares about people 

2. Knows that he is not alone 

3. Gives to the Master 

4. Is thankful 

5. Knows that he is a conduit

6. Knows that what he gives comes back in abundance 

7. Does the right thing without fanfare

This month the Rotary theme is Literacy, Health and Hunger, all three of which are core areas of focus of the Rotary Foundation.

Our Club has for many years been closely associated with both health and literacy. We have for been a stalwart supporter of the Dialysis unit at the Peebles Hospital, providing them with two Dialysis machines as well as TV monitors. And this year, we have been preparing for a global grant that not only donates a further machine, but also launches a public awareness campaign of the causes of diabetes and what each of us can do to reduce the risk of contracting this nasty disease.  We have also provided free health checks to the general public through our annual health exposition. And we will be doing so again later this month.

As regards Literacy, we have supported the Ministry of Education as sponsors for the National Schools Spelling Bee and General Knowledge quizzes for both Primary and Secondary schools. During Literacy month we have read to some of the primary schools in the Territory, and we will be doing this again this month, to Enis Adams, Ebenezer Thomas and Willard Wheatley. And we have sponsored the Adult Spelling Bee for the last several years.

Our track record in support for both sectors speaks for itself and is something which the club can be truly proud of. There are some things which we should have done, but haven’t; in particular, apart from the Julian Skelton Scholarship Fund which lies moribund, we haven’t established a scholarship fund for main stream education. We haven’t done much to promote the development of IT skills in the primary schools. Both are noble causes and deserve our attention and perhaps had we had the funds, both would have.

Both the health of our nation and the education of our youth are areas of priority focus. How many work days are lost to ill health, from the effects of diabetes, cancer, alcoholism, drugs? What is the cost to gross domestic product and the economy in general? What are the costs to the national health care system? What are the human costs?

How many of our children are ill prepared for leaving school? How many lack the basic 3 Rs? How many drop out of the educational system because it does not meet their needs? What is the opportunity cost – the cost to the economy of a significant rump of High School graduates who will find it difficult to find employment and drift to the fringes, possibly to get caught up in criminal activities.

Is it acceptable to say “ this is Government’s problem; this is what I pay my taxes for”. Is that an acceptable response from a responsible Rotarian? In this month as we put the spotlight on health and literacy issues, please take a moment to ask yourselves; “what do I do as a Rotarian, in fact as a responsible member of society, to improve both the health of the nation and the standards of literacy in our youth?” and “what can I do?”

Charles Crane

President

At our meeting on Wednesday 5th March, we welcomed our newest member Anthony Clarke as he was installed as our 52nd member. Rtn. Anthony has a history of community service  and he has already shown his commitment to continuing this track record, attending the Inter-schools Spelling Bee as a judge.

The following was provided by SAA Ryan in his introducion of Anthony two weeks ago

"Anthony S. Clarke was born in Antigua on September 5th 1980 and is the first child for both parents. He quickly migrated to the U.S. Virgin Islands where he spent his formative years and attended the Joseph Gomez School. Anthony relocated to Antigua at the age of 7 and attended the Foundation Mixed School. Upon            completion of his primary education he attended the Antigua Grammar School from 1993-98. He earned all distinctions at the CXC level and was the recipient of a
Cable and Wireless Educational Achievement Award for his academics.

In 1994 Anthony became a participating student in the Junior Achievement Programme. A Programme which had a profound influence on him. In 1996 Anthony     became an advisor to the Programme helping other students to see the value in the free enterprise system. He has represented Antigua at JA international           conferences in Washington, D.C. Killeen, TX and Alberta, Canada. In 1998 Anthony became the youngest ever Programme Director to be involved with the            Programme and was instrumental in getting 100% participation from all secondary schools and started the first Programme in Barbuda as well. He was
also instrumental in securing college scholarships for 5 Antiguans through JA International.

For his contribution to the Programme and passion for youth development Anthony received the 2003 Global Youth Service Award. 
Anthony taught Caribbean History and Biology at the Bryant House Secondary School from 1998-2003 and graded CXC papers in Barbados for 3 of those years.

He migrated to the United States in 2004 and worked as a Manager for Bally Total Fitness in NYC and transitioned to a regional manager responsible for all facilities in Ohio, Indiana and southern Illinois later that same year.

In 2007 Anthony joined a division of the Home Shopping Network called Cornerstone Brands and played a pivotal role in the development of customer retention      initiatives, logistics and satellite offices. In 2008 he was promoted to a Senior Operations Manager role with responsibilities for managing satellite offices in Phoenix, AZ Tampa, FL Atlanta, GA and Cleveland, OH.

In addition to being Ryan's dog walker, chef, spiritual advisor, and gardener he is an avid reader of John Grisham novels and political drama shows.

Even though he was born in Antigua, lived in St.Thomas and the United States Anthony considers the BVI home."

We expect Rtn. Anthony to be a great addition to our Club and just to emphasise this, he left the meeting following his installation to assist with the Secondary      Schools division of the Inter-schools Spelling Bee - A great example Rtn. Anthony!

We had a problem selecting his member category; we couldnt find a category for dog walker, spiritual advisor or gardener, so settled for Human resources         management!

Welcome Rtn. Anthony!

On Saturday 1st March, the Interact group held a bake sale outside Riteway, between 10am and 3pm. They were raising money to help defray some of the travel costs to Anguilla. The Rotary Club of Anguilla and their Interact Club have invited the Road Town Interact group to visit them between 11th April and 14th April for some fellowship and Community service. They will be staying at La Vue Boutique In in the heart of Anguilla and close to the beach. the Rotary and Interact Clubs On Anguilla have put together a full programme, including a joint meeting with Rotary. The bake sale raised $422; they have also held  other fund raisers including a car wash and water sale. On 15th March, they have been asked to face paint at the CCT launch party at Noel LLoyd Park. If anyone would like to accompany the Interactors to Anguilla, please contact President Kadian at kadi_lj@hotmail.com, as she is organising a group rate with LIAT

On Saturday February 15th, 45 Interactors and their guests gathered at Pussers West End for a dinner to celebrate the feast of St. Valentines; Yes, believe it or not it is a religious feast, and not just a Hallmark occasion. Although the main dining room was technically open to the public,  the Interact Group pretty much took it over, although there was one brave group who had dinner up there, and they turned out to be a group of Rotarians from New York state and were most impressed that we had an Interact group - I got the impression they didnt. The evening was a great success, and after a great buffet dinner, President Kadian installed three new members, and then they had some games and awarded prizes for the best dressed male, female and couple, judged by Dir. Surbhi..  A  very successful evening and much enjoyed by them all. See photo gallery for more photos

At their meeting on Saturday 1^st February, the following were elected to the Board for the Rotary year 2014/15:

Vice President  and President elect 2015/16:                            Tyra Lewis

Secretary:                                                                            Elona Davis

Treasurer:                                                                           J’Moi Saunders

Sergeant at Arms:                                                                Ryoko Skelton

Club Service Director:                                                           Xhanae Barry

Community Service Director:                                                 Melvin Knight

Membership Director:                                                           Noel Maxwell

International Understanding:                                                 Kaleann Thomas

Public Relations Director:                                                     Nia Douglas       

The President for the year, currently Vice President and President elect, is Tamara Caesar. The new Board will take office on 1^st July

In the Rotary calendar, February is World Understanding month; February is also the month  in which we celebrate the formation of the first Rotary Club in Chicago, on 23^rd February 1905 which has been designated World Understanding and Peace Day. The theme of world Understanding encompasses the Fourth Object of Rotary: “The advancement of international understanding, goodwill, and peace through a world fellowship of business and professional persons united in the ideal of service. “

In designating World Understanding Month, the Rotary International board asks all Rotary clubs to plan programs for their weekly meetings and undertake special activities to emphasize "understanding and goodwill as essential for world peace."

In the past, our Club has played its part in helping to promote better understanding and goodwill through our responses to environmental disasters that have afflicted many parts of the world; viz: the Asian Tsunami, the Philippines earthquake, Hurricane Ivan and closer to home, the devastating earthquake that hit Haiti and recently the flood damages in St Vincent and St Lucia. In all these and others, Rotarians in our club, across the district and the world have come together to bring relief to those in need. And doubtless we shall do so in the future.

The eradication of Polio from the world has been and continues to be the major crusade of Rotary and in doing so has created much goodwill, brought peace to areas where before there was conflict and brought hope to many millions of children whose lives would otherwise have been one of pain and misery. 

Let us during this month of World Understanding reflect on how as Rotarians we can foster World Peace, and bring  relief to those around the world who are victims of conflict or other adversity. Close to home, let us bring help to those in St. Lucia still suffering from the effects of the Christmas Eve storms, by contributing clothing and dry goods; if you haven’t done so yet, please become a sustaining member of the Rotary Foundation by donating $100, and bring an additional $20 to meeting to contribute to the Polio Fund.

These are positive things that we can do this month that will help change the lives of those less fortunate. Please take few moments to reflect on one of the reasons why you became Rotarians – to help change lives for the better . Please do the right thing!

At our weekly meeting on 12^th February  the newly appointed Superintendent of Prisons, Mr David Foot, spoke to our members about his first few days in his new job, the challenges he faces as well as what he hopes to achieve during his 2 year contract. Acknowledging the adverse public comment that heralded his appointment, in a light hearted moment he said that many of the people who greeted him did so with" what about the eggs". This was clearly a duty that Mr Foot hadnt been fully briefed on. However, he said that it was a goal of his to ensure that each inmate of the prison was engaged in a useful vocation whilst serving time and involvement in the prison farm was just one area of focus; so, Yes, the eggs will be re-appearing on supermarket shelves in about 6 weeks as 600 day old chicks from Barbados were due to arrive the following day. He saw his job as not just ensuring that the prisoners were confined within a secure location as their payment to society for their actions, but preparing them to return to society as useful members who have a skill to offer. He paid tribute to his predecessor, Richard Holder who had worked tirelessly for improvement in prison conditions, whilst not detracting from the purpose of prison confinement. He said that he looked forward to the challenges ahead, noting that it was an opportunity to make a difference that would be hard to find in his native UK. Mr. Foot draws on a lot of experience; he joined the Prison service in the UK in 1991; his most recent position was acting prison governor for Lancaster farms Young Offenders institution. In his career with the prison service he has served in a variety of prisons and dealt with a wide cross section of prisoners from hardened criminals to first time offenders, drugs and sex offenders. David is married with 3 young children. After the meeting, David joined us for the after meeting fellowship at the Sports Club and has since expressed a desire to join the club.

Dr Katherine Smith, who is a renowned local historian , spoke at our meeting on 19^th February on the above topic. She began her illustrated presentation with an account of the African slave trade starting in the 1750s, with details of the number of slaves brought to the Virgin Islands, their ethnic groups and the areas of West Africa rom which they originated. The presentation then moved on to the emergence of a cohesive Virgin Islands culture; she explained the influence the Methodist church, which had become highly organised throughout the Caribbean, had on the slaves and the important role of land ownership after the large plantations fell into decay following the 1819 hurricane. Dr. Smith pointed out that women had become pre-eminent in Virgin Islands society partly as a result of the slavery laws under which a child’s status was determined by that of his/her mother, the father being of no significance in that respect. She went on to state that many of the slaves on gaining their freedom took on the surname of the estate owner, and hence the emergence of what have now become significant family names; Smith,  Harrigan, O’Neal etc. Dr. Smith then answered a long list of questions, proof positive that her presentation had captivated the members present.

Having met with the Club’s Board of directors and Officers in the afternoon of Wednesday 29th January, the DG with his wife Michelle paid his official visit to our meeting later that evening. The meeting with the Board went smoothly and the DG enjoyed the power point presentation which the directors presented on their area of focus. There was a relaxed atmosphere throughout the meeting and the DG left satisfied we were on the right track.

First of all, let me wish you all, our members and your families,  a Very Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year. I hope the Holiday season was kind to you and that you can look back with some very happy memories.
As 2013 passes in to the history books, we now look forward to 2014; the New Year will see the closing of one Rotary year and the start of the next.  But with six months to go in this Rotary year there is still much work to be done.  Our directors will report on their achievements over the last six months at the forthcoming Club Forum, and I have already given an outline of some of the activities we have been engaged in during the first six months in an email sent at the close of the year. 
January is Rotary Awareness month – a month in which we have the opportunity to make ourselves more aware of the tremendous difference we, as Rotarians and as an organisation can and do make to both individual lives and those in our communities; and at the same time we can make our communities aware of the awesome work that Rotary does. It also provides an opportunity for a bit of self inspection.
Throughout the month, our weekly Rotary Minute will focus on different aspects of Rotary, the work that Rotary does and the opportunities it provides for us to live the motto of “Service above Self” . At the end we will have one of our quizzes.  Hopefully you will feel more engaged and better motivated to change lives.
In our community, we will ensure that those living around us understand what it means to be a Rotarian; that we are not some secret society whose object is for the betterment of its members. We will publish a half year report in the media of what we have achieved so that the public become better informed of what we do, and equally importantly, how we do it. We already reach out to and meet many in our community each year through the Grand Raffle, Health Expo and Kiddies Fiesta. But there are still too many in our community who remain ignorant of what Rotary is and does. We must do our best to correct that. We shall use the monthly radio programme “Rotary Radio”  as well as other media opportunities, as a means to tell our story, because it is a great story and we should, all of us, be proud to be Rotarians.
And lastly, we should ask ourselves: “Am I a good Rotarian?” “Do I fulfill all those undertakings that I pledged to do when I joined Rotary?”  And if the answer to either or both  these two questions is a No, or even a partial No, then ask yourself “what is it that I can contribute to Rotary that I don’t do now so that I can be a better Rotarian, and thus make our Club a more effective Rotary Club?” Nobody expects every Rotarian to be involved in every activity, but each one of us has a special gift, a special skill and we should, each of us, ensure that that gift or skill is used by Rotary. 
So let us as Rotarians enter the New Year with renewed vigour and commitment as we continue our work to Engage with Rotary to Change Lives!
And lastly, January 7th is our Birthday – so, Happy Birthday Rotary Club of Road Town! 23 years and still going strong and getting even better.
Best wishes to you all.
President Charles

Some of us may be aware of what follows, but to many, particularly our newer members, some of the following may not be familiar, and in this month of Rotary awareness it seems appropriate to remind all of us of how rotary was born and  has evolved.

HISTORY OF ROTARY INTERNATIONAL

The first four Rotarians (from left): Gustavus Loehr, Silvester Schiele, Hiram Shorey, and Paul P. Harris, circa 1905-12.

Paul P. Harris, an attorney, wanted to create a professional group with the same friendly spirit he felt in the small towns of his youth. On 23 February 1905, Harris, Gustavus Loehr, Silvester Schiele, and Hiram Shorey gathered at Loehr’s office in Room 711 of the Unity Building in downtown Chicago. This was the first Rotary club meeting. They decided to call the new club “Rotary” after the practice of rotating meeting locations.

Within five years clubs had formed across the country, from San Francisco to New York.

In August 1910, Rotarians held their first convention in Chicago. The 16 clubs that existed at that time united to form the National Association of Rotary Clubs.