ST PETERS, ST MAARTEN, August 24, 2011: In response to a request from the Starlight
Educational Center for assistance with their worn-out school furniture, The
Rotary Club of St. Martin Sunrise contacted some school boards in the
Netherlands if they could help out. The result was presented last Wednesday
when 40 school desks and chairs for children age 4 to 6 were delivered at the
school in St. Peters.
Sunrise Rotary Club is organizing a special breakfast for its guests and potential members, called Sunrise Rotary Open House on Tuesday August 30th, 2011.
The initiative, a collaboration between the Rotary club of St. Martin Sunrise and the Participant Foundation, is to refurbish the existing playground at EWP to realize a vibrant children’s playground and Family recreational space at the Park. There are currently few public playgrounds and very limited facilities on the island catered to outdoor activities which the whole family could enjoy, particularly children.
Last Saturday saw 40+ volunteers from the island, through SXM DOET, volunteer their time to begin the work refurbishing Emilio Wilson Park playground built by the Rotary club of St. Martin Sunrise some 11 years ago in 2004.
The initiative, a collaboration between the Rotary club of St. Martin Sunrise and the Participant Foundation, is to refurbish the existing playground at EWP to realize a vibrant children’s playground and Family recreational space at the Park. There are currently few public playgrounds and very limited facilities on the island catered to outdoor activities which the whole family could enjoy, particularly children.
There is still so much more to be done but funds are limited. The Participant Foundation has initiated a crowdfunding campaign to raise funds to complete the Playground at the park. Participant Foundation founder, Zahira Marmar Hilliman, stresses the importance of community participation in building the park. “We believe that the people of a community should be active participants in building that community. We have started to physically build it together already. Now we need to put our financial resources together to do what a few alone cannot do. We believe that the people and businesses of St. Marten have among us the resource to do this collectively”.
The Participant Foundation is calling on the community to “participate” and help raise funds to build our Playground and Family Recreation area at our Emilio Wilson Park. “No amount is too small but don't think small, think big!”
Individuals interested in donating towards building the children’s playground can give to the online Indiegogo generosity campaign Fundraiser ID: 1663471 or make a payment or transfer directly into Participant account at WIB with a note : EWP playground donation.
WIB Account Numbers for Participant Foundation:
USD 81040304 WIB
FLS 81040402 WIB
Foundation founder, Zahira Marmar Hilliman, President Marcellia Henry, Service Director Agnes Kapoor, Rtn. Valda Woodley-Hazel
Rotary Club of St. Martin Sunrise as a member of Rotary District 7020, who is a partner of Alzheimer Disease International in the Caribbean Dementia Awareness Advocacy Alliance, is committed to providing its support locally to raise the awareness and the advocacy for a dementia friendly Sint Maarten and to achieve respect and the realization of all the human rights of persons with dementia.
Volunteers from The Sint Maarten Alzheimer Foundation recently held a presentation during the Rotary St. Martin Sunrise breakfast meeting on the Topic: "Dementia needs Action Now".
Ms. Vivvet Cramer a Guyanese national residing in Sint Maarten shared her experiences and challenges as a young person living with dementia and presented her thoughts about what she expects from her caregivers, from government and from society.
Drs. Raymond Jessurun, the Secretary of the local Alzheimers Foundation and also Regional representative of Alzheimer Disease International presented an update on the recent developments and calls of actions to address dementia as a development priority in our region. The Caribbean region will be the region with the highest increase of persons affected by dementia, with a doubling of the amount of persons with dementia foreseen in the next 15 years. There are now already more persons living with dementia than with HIV/AIDS, which demands action NOW.
Rotary Club of St. Martin Sunrise as a member of Rotary District 7020, who is a partner of Alzheimer Disease International in the Caribbean Dementia Awareness Advocacy Alliance, is committed to providing its support locally to raise the awareness and the advocacy for a dementia friendly Sint Maarten and to achieve respect and the realization of all the human rights of persons with dementia.
President Marcellia Henry stated that as part of the Rotary has Heart initiative, the club selected Sint Maarten Alzheimer Foundation to be the recipient of this year's donation. The club supports the wonderful work and awareness that this foundation has been bringing to this condition that is affecting many families in our community.
Rotary Sunrise Secretary Okama Ekpe Brook, Drs. Raymond Jessurun Secretary of the local Alzheimers Foundation, Mrs. Vivvet Cramer, Ms. N’kesi Cramer,
The re-launching of the 6th annual Readers Are Leaders (RAL) program on September 11, 2016, for high school students was a big hit.
The re-launching of the 6th annual Readers Are Leaders (RAL) program on September 11, 2016, for high school students was a big hit. This was combined with the launching of the program for the first time in elementary schools. This is one of our signature projects aimed again to bring reading and literacy and education to the fore front. The program is known within the community and is supported by the highs school that have made the program part of their English language curricula.
The Philipsburg Jubilee Library in collaboration with, the Community Outreach Mentorship & Empowerment International Center (COME), the Rotaract Club of St. Maarten Sunrise, the Rotary Club St. Martin Sunrise, and Sint Maarten National Commission for UNESCO, embarked on a Literacy Awareness Campaign called “ SXM Reads”.
The aim of this campaign is not only to raise awareness in the community, but also to bring forward their concerns regarding illiteracy on the island.
International Literacy month was celebrated on September 8th, 2015.
The Philipsburg Jubilee Library in collaboration with, the Community Outreach Mentorship & Empowerment International Center (COME), the Rotaract Club of St. Maarten Sunrise, the Rotary Club St. Martin Sunrise, and Sint Maarten National Commission for UNESCO, embarked on a Literacy Awareness Campaign called “ SXM Reads”.
The aim of this campaign is not only to raise awareness in the community, but also to bring forward their concerns regarding illiteracy on the island.
The commencement of the literacy awareness campaign initiative took place on Friday September 11th, 2015 with guest speaker Jenny Fraai from Curacao. Ms. Fraai, President of the foundation Pro Alfa, has dedicated more than 25 years to the advancement of literacy in Curacao. In her speech, Ms. Fraai spoke of persons whose lives have been improved by the efforts of the literacy program Pro Alfa. She gave an example of an owner of a contracting company who was unable to write out his own checks, and therefore only signed them. Once he was able to read, the contractor became aware that the person who was helping him was also stealing from him.
Towards the end of the evening, a testimonial was given by a gentleman who attended literacy classes at the COME Center. He was happy that his wife encouraged him to take the reading classes because he is now able to read to his children and help them with their homework.
On Saturday September 12, 2015, Jenny Fraai and Maureen Yeung from Pro Alfa gave a workshop. In this workshop they gave some strategies which can be used to help build and strengthen the literacy level of the relevant persons.
This Saturday September 19th, 2015 from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., SXM Reads continues the awareness campaign by showing the movie “The Reading Room” at the Philipsburg Jubilee Library. The movie is about raising literacy awareness in the neighbourhood . It will then be followed by a panel discussion regarding literacy on Sint Maarten.
The last activity for the month of September will be “Reading and Learning in the Park”. This will be held on Saturday September 26, 2015 from 10:00 am to 4:00 p.m. at the Emilio Wilson Park. This activity, which will be organized by the Rotaract Club of Sint Maarten Sunrise, will be fun and interactive with various activities such as storytelling, decorating cupcakes, creating musical instruments and many other activities.
Evident by the motto “Building a Strong Literate Community,” the aim of SXM Reads is to promote literacy; and by promoting literacy, SXM Reads will transform the lives of many.
Motorworld and Rotary Club of St. Martin Sunrise have joined forces yet again to help start kids on the right path for this school year. School bags containing school materials such as pens, pencils, copy books, sharpeners and erasers were handed out to students at the Sr. Borgia Elementary School and the Sr. Marie Laurence Primary School.
Philipsburg, August 17, 2015:
Motorworld and Rotary Club of St. Martin Sunrise have joined forces yet again to help start kids on the right path for this school year. School bags containing school materials such as pens, pencils, copy books, sharpeners and erasers were handed out to students at the Sr. Borgia Elementary School and the Sr. Marie Laurence Primary School.
The students were excited to receive the school bag and supplies as members of Rotary Sunrise, President Marcellia Henry, Fundraising Director Peter Dialani, Vice President Angela Gordon, and Motorworld’s Marketing Officer Lorenzo Gomez, handed out the bags to them. The two partners wished the Students, Teachers and the Schools’ Principals a very successful school year and hoped that with this the Rotary Club of St Martin Sunrise and Motorworld have contributed to the performance of the children in school.
“Motorworld has proven to be a worthy partner over the years for the Rotary Sunrise in this project”, said President Henry. The club appreciates the acceptance from the business sector to collaborate in such a way that it benefits our community especially as it concerns the youth. Motorworld will continue this relationship with Rotary Sunrise in the years ahead.
On behalf of Motorworld Mr. Lorenzo Gomez thanked the Rotary for partnering with them and said it was a great pleasure to be of service to the community. He also added that this donation is a part of Motorworld’s Educational Campaign that will focus on helping to develop St. Maarten’s next scholar superstars.
Rotary Sunrise and Motorworld at St. Joseph School
For the third year, Sol St. Maarten, has again joined forces with the Rotary Club of St. Martin Sunrise to present 375 fully-equipped school bags to the students of the combined Leonard Conner & Charles Leopold Belle Primary School. This year, Sol also honoured the teachers with a token gift.
Date: August 18, 2015
For the third year, Sol St. Maarten, has again joined forces with the Rotary Club of St. Martin Sunrise to present 375 fully-equipped school bags to the students of the combined Leonard Conner & Charles Leopold Belle Primary School. This year, Sol also honoured the teachers with a token gift.
The handover of backpacks - which included a wide range of classroom supplies - took place at the school today August 18, 2014.
Attending the ceremony was David Antrobus, General Manager of Sol along with Marisca Peterson, Sol’s Retail Sales representative and other members of the Sol St. Maarten team. Also in attendance was the President Marcellia Henry and Angela Gordon of the Rotary Club of St. Martin Sunrise.
“We know that the new school year is an exciting time for students and Sol is more than happy once again to help ensure that each and every child is equipped with the tools they need to have an enjoyable and successful academic year.
“Sol remains committed to helping our young people reach their full potential. We wish all the students of the combined Cole Bay schools the very best as they continue to strive for excellence.”
Sol’s donation to the school is part of a back-to-school project being run by the Rotary Club of St. Martin Sunrise. The company chose to sponsor these Cole Bay primary schools as its main office and depot are located in the same neighborhood.
“As good citizens and neighbors, Sol is always proud to champion the education and development of St. Maarten’s youth, and we will continue to support the community of Cay Bay wherever and whenever we can,” added Antrobus.
Both Antrobus and Henry emphasized that Education is Key and that the children should strive to do better at all times so that they can go further in their lives.
Ms. Henry thanked Sol for not hesitating to support these Cole Bay schools.
The children and their teachers were happy to be back at school and very appreciative of Sol’s and Rotary’s gesture.
David Antrobus, General Manager of Sol along with Marisca Peterson, Sol’s Retail Sales representative, President Marcellia Henry and Angela Gordon of the Rotary Club of St. Martin Sunrise.
This is the fourth year that the Rotary Club of St. Martin Sunrise has organized its annual tree lightning activity. Each year a different foster home is selected, and the event is held at the home to bring lots of cheers and smiles to the children at the foster home.
This past Saturday, December 12th, the Sunrise Rotary Club decided to share some Christmas joy with the children from the New Start Foundation. The Christmas tree lighting was a delight to the children. Service Club Director, Ms. Agnes Kapoor enlisted the help and support of a group of children from the Indian community to participate in the fun and gift giving to the residents.
President Marcellia Henry, Service Director, Ms. Agnes Kapoor and the members of the Rotary Club of St. Martin Sunrise would like to thank the Gurukul Group and Ms. Divina Mirpuri for enlisting the support of the parents and the children from the Indian community together with the children from New Start for a fun evening. We would also like to thank the students from the Sundial Interact Club for their support in making the day a fun experience for the kids.
There were lots of food and treat and gift and games. The kids enjoyed the making of snow man and drawing a Christmas scene as an icebreaker. A good time was had by all and we look forward to more activities of that nature in the future. We want to commend Mr. & Mrs. Benjamin who run the home for the amount of love, dedication and provision of such a wonderful family environment for our children.
This is the fourth year that the Rotary Club of St. Martin Sunrise has organized its annual tree lightning activity. Each year a different foster home is selected, and the event is held at the home to bring lots of cheers and smiles to the children at the foster home.
Mrs. Connie Gumbs-Francis personifies the criteria outlined for the Vocational Service Award and after reviewing all nominees our club was proud to select and recognize her for the work she does for youth and the community of St. Maarten.
On Tuesday February 16, 2016, Mrs. Connie Gumbs-Francis was awarded the Vocational Service Award for 2016.
President Marcellia Henry stated that ‘To be eligible for the award, the nominee (individual or organization) had to demonstrate the following attributes: Leadership of the highest standard and a proven track record in the area; Exemplification of the Rotary spirit of “Service Above Self”; Involvement at the community level in activities; and High ethical and moral standards displayed in performance / work related to selected area of vocational service.
Mrs. Gumbs-Francis was nominated because of her passion for youth development and her outstanding vocational service in community.
Mrs. Gumbs-Francis is the Director and founding Member of the St. Maarten Youth Council Association. Her duties include management of the Rupert I Maynard Youth Community Center, and programming for the STAR After School Program. She is the initiator and coordinator of the Sint Maarten Youth Parliament since 2010, and is a member of the Rights of the Child Steering Group.
To list a few more of her noteworthy accomplishments, Mrs. Gumbs-Francis was bestowed a Royal Decoration for prolong outstanding service to the community in 2015, and is a Member in the Order of Orange Nassau. She is the founding member and secretary of the Saint Martin United NGO Federation, the current secretary of the Victorious Living Foundation, and Captain of the 2nd St. Maarten Girls’ Brigade.
Mrs. Connie Gumbs-Francis personifies the criteria outlined for the Vocational Service Award and after reviewing all nominees our club was proud to select and recognize her for the work she does for youth and the community of St. Maarten.
Past recipients of this award include: Dr. Judith Arndell, Mary Bryson, and Urmain Dormoy.
Vocational Service Director Agnes Kapoor, Mrs. Connie Gumbs-Francis, Rotary Sunrise President Marcellia Henry, Vice President Ahmed Bell
For years already the White and Yellow Cross Foundation and Rotary Sunrise have a strong relationship, resulting in both parties working together on projects. When Rotary Sunrise contacted the care foundation with the request for a funding project, a topic was easily selected.
Recently the Rotary Sunrise Club presented the White and Yellow Cross Foundation with a generous donation to purchase important exercise equipment.
For years already the White and Yellow Cross Foundation and Rotary Sunrise have a strong relationship, resulting in both parties working together on projects. When Rotary Sunrise contacted the care foundation with the request for a funding project, a topic was easily selected.
The White and Yellow Cross Foundation has a paramedical department that includes a gym that caters to all its residential and outpatient clients. One piece of equipment is in such high demand, that clients wait in line to use it. The Sci-Fit bike can accommodate clients with many different disabilities to enable them to do effective cardio exercises. Even sitting in your own wheelchair you can “ride” this bike, for example with your hands only. This bike caters to clients in the nursing home, the physical rehabilitation center and those from Sister Basilia Center who may need it.
As the Sci-Fit is pricey, White and Yellow Cross Foundation (WYCF) was in need of sponsorship and Rotary Sunrise heard this call!
Two events were organized by the club to raise enough funds. The first one was a flea market, held at the Air Lekkerbek Restaurant, drawing large crowds and many sellers and buyers. About half of the required funds were raised during this lively event in the spring of 2014.
The creative minds of Rotary Sunrise then organized a beautiful Opera event, Les Miserables. The Opera was shown in the Megaplex Movie Theater, drawing a crowd of Opera lovers and connoisseurs. With a tasteful catering the evening was lauded a success by the guests, who enjoyed the unique showing.
With the funds fully collected to order and ship the Sci-Fit to the White and Yellow Cross Foundation, a festive presentation was made to Petra Peut, physical therapist and coordinator of the paramedical services and rehabilitation. Together with the White and Yellow Cross Foundation Operations Manager, she happily received the donation and toured the Rotary guests around the facilities.
In picture Rotary Sunrise President Marcellia Henry presents White and Yellow Cross Foundation Bregje Boetekees (WYCF) with the funds raised in the presence of District Governor of Rotary and spouse, Assistant Governor of Rotary, the Rotary Sunrise treasurer and WYCF Petra Peut.
Rotary Sunrise Inducts Ruminni Rogers into Membership
On Tuesday February 9, 2016, Mr. Ruminni Rogers was inducted as the newest member of the Rotary Club of St. Martin Sunrise. Ruminni Rogers who is a Police Officer, the son of Carlyle Rogers and Ramona Riley-Juan Pedro, and a talented Calysonians, who captured the Junior Calypso crown in 2008, has become the youngest member of the club.
Rotary Sunrise Inducts Ruminni Rogers into Membership
On Tuesday February 9, 2016, Mr. Ruminni Rogers was inducted as the newest member of the Rotary Club of St. Martin Sunrise. Ruminni Rogers who is a Police Officer, the son of Carlyle Rogers and Ramona Riley-Juan Pedro, and a talented Calysonians, who captured the Junior Calypso crown in 2008, has become the youngest member of the club.
Ruminni was a member of the Rotaract Club of St. Maarten Sunrise, the younger chapter of the Rotary Club, where he served with dedication alongside a dynamic group of young professionals. He always says, “ Anyone can join an organization, but it takes extraordinary people to make you stay”. During his time in the Rotaract Club of St. Maarten Sunrise, he held the position of Sergeant At Arms for the 2015-2016 Rotaract year, and assisted with Public Relations. A strong believer in shooting for the stars, Ruminni decided that it was time to take his services to the next level and took that bold step at an early age of 25 years to transition into Rotary.
President Marcellia Henry stated that ‘Ruminni was chosen by the membership of our club because we believe he is a leader in his particular vocation, as Police Officer, and possesses those qualities and values that Rotarians advocate which is Service Above Self.’ As a young, dynamic, dedicated, and positive role model, we look forward to the contributions he will make to the club and the community of St. Maarten. We are happy that he decided to move on to the next level and have chosen the Rotary Club of St. Martin Sunrise to by the medium through which he can serve the St. Maarten community.
Rotarian Ruminni Rogers expresses gratitude towards the Rotary Club of St. Martin Sunrise for making him feel at home and he looks forward to serving with this extraordinary group of professionals.
Rotary Sunrise Secretary Okama Ekpe Brook, Newest Member Ruminni Rogers,
Rotary Sunrise President Marcellia Henry, Rotaract Sunrise President Kimberley Duzong, Membership Director Valda Woodley-Hazel
On Wednesday August 5, 2015 proved a very difficult day for all of us in St. Maarten. It was the day when we heard nd some of us witnessed the unfortunate shooting of Police Officer Gamali Benjamin, lovingly called 'Benji'. This incident had dire consequences for the whole community of St. Maarten. Besides the big loss suffered with the death of a dear soul in the line of duty, it was an awakening to the deteriorating levels of safety and security and the overall consequences of youth at risk. In collectively coming to terms on how to deal with this matter, our meeting on August 12th was dedicated to the memory of Officer Benji and prayers for his family.
The meeting drew attention to the need to create more awareness about peaceful coexistence and harmony within the community. We strongly believe that Rotary has a strong role to play in rebuilding a purposeful nation of St. Maarten. Together we can make a lasting difference. Together we can continue the legacy of Officer Benji. Together we can contribute to 'Bringing Back the Friendly Island'. In subsequent meetings, more efforts will be made to conduct a needs assessment on the kinds of activities that can be supported on peace building and outreach to youth at risk. Stay tuned so you can join the initiatives.
The Minister Plenipotentiary, Mrs. Josianne Fleming-Artsen was the guest speaker at the Rotary Club of St. Martin Sunrise breakfast meeting. At the meeting, she talked about her main tasks which is her representation at the Council of Ministers of the Kingdom. The Minister Plenipotentiary mentioned that the Council of Ministers of the Kingdom comprises 15 Dutch Ministers and 3 Minister Plenipotentiaries each of Aruba, Curaçao and St. Maarten. Other tasks of the Minister Plenipotentiary that Mrs. Fleming-Artsen elaborated on were representation at all invited functions in the Netherlands, representation in Brussels, and assistance to the St. Maarten organizations. The Minister Plenipotentiary also spoke of her cabinet and the functions within the cabinet. President Marcellia Henry indicated that the club was very pleased to have the Minister Plenipotentiary, Mrs. Josianne Fleming-Artsen visit the club to share information about the role and function of the Minister Plenipotentiary. She indicated that the presentation was very interactive and informative, and looks forward to the Minister Plenipotentiary visiting the club once again during her next visit to St. Maarten.
The Rotary Club of St. Martin Sunrise meets every Tuesday at 7am at the Barefoot Terrace Restaurant at the Cyrus Wathey Square on the Boardwalk in Philipsburg.
Philipsburg, September 5, 2013:Rotary Club of St. Martin Sunrise welcomed to their weekly breakfast meeting Mr. Rodney Davis, who is the youth social worker at the Sundial School; Mr. Davis gave a presentation of the program which is currently being offered at the school under the name of “Active Parenting of Teens”.
The objective of the Rotary Club is to join forces with Mr. Davis and offer a similar program focusing mainly on fathers under the theme “Active Parenting for Fathers”, the primary objective of this program, is to train fathers how to act as a parent; what their role as a father is and what their role as part of the family is. The relevance of this training tool is that it has been shown that there is no youth problem that cannot be solved with good parenting skills. The Impact on children and youth has been staggering and it forces us to be cognizant of what is happening today and understand the cultural differences between generations at this time, between now and the past. The goal of the tool is to reach higher standards in parenting; to increase their learning ability by building character and respect for themselves and for their families. With the acquired skills they would know how to get their kids to survive in life to become movers and shakers
As Rotarians we can support the training by letting our voices be heard by using the media to broadcast best practices and to profile role models. As society it is also important to redefine the definition; it is outdated and need to be adjusted to better reflect the current world we are living in. The program will be delivered free of charge with fathers opting to purchase the parenting guide book if they desire and will require 15 hours, spread over 6 to 12 weeks, with social and competitive fellowship activities specially designed for men.
Although the role of the father is being highlighted in this training, the role of family as a unit is pivotal on different levels of education.
The Rotary Club of St. Martin Sunrise meets at Air Lekkerbek Restaurant every Tuesday mornings at 7:00am for fellowship and breakfast. For more information on the club visit us at sxmsunrise.org or email: sunriserotary.sxm@hotmail.com, we are also on Facebook: Rotary Club of Saint Martin Sunrise and Twitter: @RotarySunSXM
On July 28, 2012, the Rotary Club of St. Martin Sunrise and the Rotaract Club of St. Maarten Sunrise assisted the Rotary Club of Anguilla with the painting of the Valley Primary School and a Dental Care Clinic in Anguilla.
Sunrise Rotary Club invites you to come and have some fun at
the SUNRISE ROTARY CHARITY FLEA MARKET
It will be held on Saturday November 16, 2013
Location AirLekkerbek Restaurant (inside and outside)
Time: 9 am to 3 pm
We will be selling new, mildly used and second hand stuff, like clothing, dvd's, cd's, books, toys, plants, household items, etc, etc. The prices will be ridiculously low!!
It will be fun for the entire family: a DJ will be entertaining, and there will be a Kids Corner to keep the kids busy while you snoop around to find a good bargain.
Save the date!
Proceeds will go towards: "End Polio Now" international program, and local youth and senior citizens orientated projects!
Rotary Club of St. Martin Sunrise held its first annual High School Volleyball Tournament with the assistance of the St. Maarten Volleyball Association on September 29 and October 6, 2012. The finals were on October 6, 2012 at the Melford Hazel Sports Complex. The participating Schools includes: Milton Peters College, St. Maarten Academy PSVE, and the Sundial School. Each school had male and female teams. In the lieu of September being Rotary’s International New Generations Month, the Rotary Club of St. Martin Sunrise organized the volleyball tournament, which was coordinated by the New Generation Director, Ms. Paula Gordon.
Our Rotaract Club of St. Martin Sunrise celebrated ROTARACT WEEK with these events:
Sunday, March 10th
10:00am-Church at Christian Assembly Church in La Savanne, Grand Case (opposite the basketball court)
Monday, March 11th
7:45am-Interview on Youth Radio
8:00pm-Professional Development/Invite a Prospective to Meeting at Carl N Sons Café on the Pondfill (the room next to the bakery)
Tuesday, March 12th
7:00am-Meeting with Rotary Sunrise at Air Lekkerbek, Pondfill
7:00pm-Meeting with Rotary Mid Isle & induction at Pineapple Petes, Simpson Bay
Wednesday, March 13th
5:00pm-Interview with Wendell Moore at PJD2 Radio Station, Philipsburg
8:00pm-Fellowship with Rotary French side at Hard Rock at Hard Rock Café, Boardwalk
Thursday 14th-
A FREE DAY
Friday, March 15th-
5:30pm- Donation to Crystal Home at Crystal Home Residence, South Reward
Saturday, , March 16th
11:00am-1:00pm- Reading Session at the Library, Philipsburg
4:00pm-Rotary/Rotaract Speech Competition at University of St. Martin, Philipsburg
Sunday, , March 17th
8:00am- Church Service at the Methodist Church on Frontstreet, Philipsburg
10:00am-Brunch at Chesterfields Restaurant, Point Blanche
The Rotary Club of St. Martin Sunrise collaborated with the Positive Foundation, and the Collective Preventive Services of the Ministry of Health in hosting the first of many series of Men’s Health awareness panel discussions and activities using the slogan: ’Get checked ’. The first activity was a panel discussion held on Wednesday, March 20, 2013. The moderator for the event was Professor Trevor Hassell from Barbados. The panelist were well known members of the community who spoke about their personal health experiences such as dealing with the realization of being diagnosed with prostate cancer, being borderline diabetic, as well as understanding the difference of one being physically fit versus being in good health.
On Saturday, March 16, 2013, Rotary club of St. Martin Sunrise and Rotaract Sunrise collaborated in hosting a 4-way speech competition for high school students.
Tortola BVI, May 21, 2013: The Rotary Club of St. Martin Sunrise has been awarded five (5) awards at the District 7020 Rotary Conference and Assembly in Tortola during the week of May 13-19, 2013.
Three (3) representatives of the club were present at the conference: President Marcellia Henry, current Secretary and Incoming President for 2013-2014, Angela Gordon, and current Vice President and Incoming Secretary for 2013-2014, Virginia Asin.
The awards reflect the diligence and hard work displayed during the course of this Rotary 2012-2013 year by the members of The Rotary Club of Sint Martin Sunrise.
1. The club was awarded the prestigious District Governor platinum award;
2. The Club of the Month Gold Award for program participation;
3. The 2012-2013 District Literacy Award for our efforts to promote literacy during the 2012-2013 year;
4. The 2012-2013 Health and Hunger Award for our work in developing Health and Hungeractivities in our
community, and
5. The Rotary International Zone 34 Public Image Citation Award 2012-2013 for the work in developing public
image and initiating public relation activities that enhance the visibility of the club in the community
In our strive to serve our communities, we rely on strong partnerships with the private sector to execute our programs. That partnership is rooted in a foundation of trust in our club and the confidence that the support given will serve a good purpose.
The Rotary Club of St Martin Sunrise would like to say thanks to you our Corporate Partners, who enabled us to accomplish and achieve the above recognitions. From the above accomplishments it’s evident that St Maarten community benefits from your financial contributions. We hope that this achievement will encourage our current partners to keep supporting our programs and at the same time motivate new partners to come on board.
The club meets at Air Lekkerbek Restaurant every Tuesday mornings at 7:00am for fellowship and breakfast. For more information on the club visit us Website: sxmsunrise.org or email:sunriserotary.sxm@hotmail.com, Facebook: Rotary Club of Saint Martin Sunrise Twitter: RotarySunSXM
On Saturday April 20, 2013,he Rotary club of St. Martin Sunrise with a team of over a hundred and fifteen (115) volunteers from different groups from St. Maarten and Anguilla came together in Dutch Quarter to give the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. School a much needed facelift, which consisted of the painting of all buildings located on the premises.
The volunteers who assisted the members of the Rotary Club of St. Martin Sunrise with the execution of the painting of the entire school included: the Rotary Club of Anguilla, UTS, AUC School of Medicine, the Youth Parliamentarians, the Interactors from St. Dominic High, Learning Unlimited, and St. Maarten Academy Academic schools, the members and parents of the P.T.A of the school, and some teachers of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Primary School. The painting which started at 7:30am on Saturday ended approximately 3pm in the afternoon.
Since 2012, the club has completed various projects at the school in collaboration with our main sponsor UTS, including the cleanup and beautification of the premises, donation of 300 school bags at the beginning of the school and the community center nearby, and initiating a breakfast program where students are served breakfast every morning.
A similar project was done with the Rotary Club of Anguilla and the Interact Club of Anguilla, where the Sunrise Rotary Club travelled to Anguilla in August 2012 to assist in the painting of the Valley Primary School and the Buffong Dental Clinic.
The Rotary Club of St. Martin Sunrise would like to thank the Minister ofEducation, Culture, Youth and Sports Ms. Silveria Jacobs for her presence and all volunteers who came out to donate their time, A & A Supply, and the professional painter Mr. Brown, who oversaw the painting.
Our club is committed in improving the lives of our children in the community and would like to do similar projects at other schools on the island. Businesses interested in becoming a sponsor or to make a donation can contact our President Marcellia Henry at # 553.1912 or Secretary Angela Gordon at # 520.0432.
The club meets at Air Lekkerbek Restaurant every Tuesday mornings at 7:00am for fellowship and breakfast. For more information on the club visit us at sxmsunrise.org or email sunriserotary.sxm@hotmail.com, we are also on Facebook: Rotary Club of Saint Martin Sunrise
November 19, 2012: A donation of USD 350 was presented to Diabetes foundations of St. Maarten at their presentation of the diabetes foot investigation results 2012 in the A.C.Wathey Hall, Governement Administration Building.
In picture (left to right)DF Foundation member Thea Habermehl-Pauw, Rotary Sunrise Vice President Virginia Asin-Oostburg, receiving check DF Foundation Chair Lotty Peterson
This contribution is part of the joint organization of the training in foot care for diabetes patients to further support efforts to decrease burden of chronic diseases, including Diabetes Training that will be given to nurses and owners of beauty salons to be aware of sensibility disorders of diabetics and to refer to experts in diabetic foot care.
Our sponsoring is to cover travel cost for the Podiatrist who will be traveling to St. Maarten during the presentation of the results of the foot study from the Foundation to health care workers. A copy of the study was also presented to the Sunrise Rotary Club.
Training dates will take place on the 25th and 26th of November, 2012; persons interested in attending can contact the DF Foundation for further information.
World Diabetes Day (WDD) was celebrated on November 14. The World Diabetes Day campaign is led by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) it raises global awareness of diabetes its escalating rates around the world and how to prevent it.
The Sunrise Rotary Club meets at Air Lekkerbek Restaurant every Tuesday mornings at 7:00am for fellowship and breakfast. For more information on the club visit us at sxmsunrise.org or email sunriserotary.sxm@hotmail.com, we are also on Facebook: Rotary Club of Saint Martin Sunrise
Philipsburg, St. Maarten—On September 16, 2012 Rotary Club of St. Martin sunrise was a part of a massive clean-up campaign at la Belle Creole Beach on French St. Martin.
The clean-up campaign was organized by the Pride Foundation and Eco-Minded Hiking Group “SXM Trails”. Many other organizations were invited to participate in this event. The clean-up started from 8 – 10 am. Hundreds of persons showed up for this event Rotary Club and the Rotaract Club of St. Martin Sunrise turned out in numbers to be a part of this event also. Garbage bags and gloves were provided to all volunteers, while working in numbers to achieve one goal, Rotary Sunrise was able to fill four 33 gallon garbage bags with trash. At first sight the beach did not look dirty, however, once the cleanup started plastic bottles, ropes, soda cans, clothing amongst others left behind garbage were found. Rotary Sunrise a nonprofit organization along with the Rotaract Sunrise aims to put “Service Above Self” and we did just that. Rotary commends the organizers of this event. Rotary Sunrise meets every Tuesday morning at 7:00am at Air Lekker Bek and Rotaract Sunrise meets every 2nd Saturday at Holland House Hotel at 7pm.
District Governor, Guy Theodore, was one of the two special guests, our club was honored to receive Tuesday, August 16, 2011, during Club Meeting at AirLekkerbek.
Dr. Guy Theodore was accompanied by ADG, Jim Ferris. The DG gave a presentation on the goals of Rotary, the future of the club and the rights and obligations of the members. It was a very interesting meeting and for those who did not get a chance to meet DG Theodore, there will be one more opportunity this Friday August 19th at the District Governor's Reception. Of course all members are invited and even urged to attend this very imporant reception. The reception is held at The Garden Restaurant, Colebay, St. Maarten. Please contact our Club Secretary, Marcellia Henry, for tickets - 35 dollars each.
August month has been chosen as the "Membership and Partnership" month.
This means: it is about YOU, the members.
Already we had a very nice breakfast with our DG,Dr. Theodore Guy, August 16th, 2011. Our DG reminded us of our rights and obligations as members of an international organization, Rotary.
As members you may expect the following for the remainder of August:
1) August 23: Vocational/Classification talks on Tuesday, August 23, 2011: Speaker to be announced. The speaker being one of us. This member will give a small presentation regarding his/her profession. More info to follow.
2) August 23: Preparation for Sunrise Rotary Open House, discussion on classification, and more.
2) August 30: The Big "Sunrise Rotary Open House" Event. We will open our "doors", the club meeting to provide interested and interesting potential members the opportunity to meet us and learn about the club and Rotary International. More info to follow.
Do YOU have any proposals for the August Month, then we are happy to hear them from YOU.
Raising our readers to be leaders! Our
youngsters need to become strong readers to succeed in life! These are the
slogans under which the Rotary Sunrise Club and the Philipsburg Jubilee Library
launched the ‘Readers are Leaders’ reading program aimed at all high school
students on our island. Our goal is to
turn St. Maarten’s teenagers into avid readers.
Opening
party
‘Readers are Leaders’ was launched on Friday,
March 19, 2010
with a swinging Pizza Party at the premises of the Philipsburg
Jubilee Library. The campaign will
culminate with a closing party celebrating the achievements of all
participating students in March 2011, which is Rotary’s Literacy Month.Then it will be re-launched in March 2011,
since the program will be an annual event.
Reading
program
High school students are challenged to
read at least 2 books per month. As extra incentives to encourage participants
to continue reading, prizes will be awarded to the first three participants
that finish reading seven books. Prizes include a number of electronic devices
such as: IPods, Net books, USB sticks, and free internet hours at the library.
Readers are Leaders is also visible on
the World Wide Web. A special Facebook account has been set up for the campaign
and participating teens are encouraged to write book reviews and discuss the
books they read on Facebook.
The topics the participants are reading
about include: world leaders and spiritual leaders from St. Maarten, the Caribbean and the rest of the world and moral values and ethics.
Apart from these topics participants can select fun books of their own choice.
Participants are also be invited to
join the Readers are Leaders Book Club, which was established in October 2010.
Interested students can sign up for the
“Reader Are Leaders” program at the Philipsburg Jubilee Library or via their
homeroom teacher at school.
To date there are approximately 85
students participating in the “Reader Are Leaders” program.
Our club members, Sunrise Rotaracters, and Interactors from the St. Maarten Academy and Learning Unlimited participated in the cleaning of the school yard of the Martin Luther King Jr. Primary School located in Dutch Quarter a helper with a weed cutter also assisted. Plants was donated and planted by the school children thanks to a donation from Rtn. Kameela Piper of Premier Landscaping.
Rotary Club of Sint Maarten Sunrise Partnered with Government in the open house
celebration "Vacccination Week of the Americas".
Our club shared information on the Rotary International Polio Elimination Project.
The highlight of the afternoon was the Zumba event, organized and sponsored by Rotary Sint Maarten Sunrise. Two Zumba schools kept visitors active with almost 2 hours of Zumba, 200 bandanas (joint funding with Rotary St Maarten Sunrise and Government) . A Certicate was given to the club for our participation from the Minister of Public Health Cornelius De weever.
This year was a special celebration of VWA; it was the tenth American anniversary and the first Global celebration. Dr Christian Morales, expert on Health Systems and Services, represented the PAHO-WHO was present for this special ocassion.
Brief summary of the event received from the:
MINISTRY OF PUBLIC HEALTH SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT AND LABOUR COLLECTIVE PREVENTION SERVICES
At the booth of YHC vaccination cards of 192 children were checked. Out of this group 75 children were vaccinated, 117 cards showed that these children were up to date with their vaccinations and the remainder got appointments to visit the clinic. The children enjoyed the day. Even the prick of the needle couldn’t keep them from smiling and enjoying the festivities.
Sunrise Rotary Club is embracing the opportunity to learn more about "carbon footprint" and the implementation of reduction strategies.
On Tuesday July 26th, 2011, we were pleased to welcome Mr. Steve Duzanson and Mrs. Cheryl Lambooy from GEBE an informational/educational session on "Reduction of Carbon Footprint".
Most club members came out to hear the information and advice that this team from GEBE had to present us. We thank Mr. Duzanson and Mrs. Lambooy for their time and effort.
Additionally clubmembers were proposed the following Challenge:
"Challenge:
The board is challenging all its members to participate in the "Reduce Your Carbon Foot Print Week". All members are asked to implement tips for the reduction of their carbon footprint during the week of July 25th till July 31st, 2011. During the meeting of August 2nd, 2011 all members will get the opportunity to tell about their experience (trying) to reduce their carbon footprint. "
There is still much to learn and a lot that we can implement in our day to day life, which will have a positive impact on our environment, for us and for future generations.
Thank you to all Club Members for trying out the tips, and we hope we all will continue on this "greener" path.
Plenipotentiary that Mrs. Fleming-Artsen elaborated on were representation at all invited functions in the Netherlands, representation in Brussels, and assistance to the St. Maarten organizations. The Minister Plenipotentiary also spoke of her cabinet and the functions within the cabinet. President Marcellia Henry indicated that the club was very pleased to have the Minister Plenipotentiary, Mrs. Josianne Fleming-Artsen visit the club to share information about the role and function of the Minister Plenipotentiary. She indicated that the presentation was very interactive and informative, and looks forward to the Minister Plenipotentiary visiting the club once again during her next visit to St. Maarten.
It will be held on Saturday November 16, 2013 
On Saturday April 20, 2013
Philipsburg, St. Maarten—On September 16, 2012 Rotary Club of St. Martin sunrise was a part of a massive clean-up campaign at la Belle Creole Beach on French St. Martin. 
Rotary Club of Sint Maarten Sunrise Partnered with Government in the open house