The Rotary Club of St. Vincent will celebrate its 50th anniversary on Aug. 5, under the theme “Rotary 50th: Responding to the Dynamics of a Changing World”.
The celebratory year commences with a week of activities, Aug. 1-7.
On Aug. 1, there will be church fellowship at the Cathedral of the Assumption in Kingstonw, followed by a virtual panel discussion of the topic “Creating opportunities. Empowering Women And Young Girls” Aug. 5.
On Aug. 7, they group will hold a cocktail reception at Young Island Resort
To celebrate the week of events, the Rotary Club of St. Vincent will be joined by special guests District 7030 Governor Sonya Alleyne, Immediate Past District Governor Lisle Chase, and Past District Governor David Edwards.
Aug. 5 marks the 50th year of the club, which now boasts a membership of male and female Rotarians, unlike the male-only outfit that tit was at its founding in 1971.
This Rotary year, the Rotary Club of St. Vincent will focus on projects in support of the fight against childhood obesity and COVID-19, the empowerment of girls and women, and peace building.
In addition to fellowshipping and networking, the Rotary Club of St. Vincent engages in widespread community service including the Young Employees Socialisation programme, the Back to School Supplies Project, providing hot lunches to homeless persons, wheelchair donation projects, collaboration with the Salvation Army Children’s Home and Friends, and the packaging and distribution of relief supplies (food, water, clothing) to families affected by the volcanic eruptions, particularly those evacuees in private shelters.
The club has provided care packages to a number of public and private sector entities and donated thousands of disposable masks to the Ministry of Health, Wellness and the Environment to aid in combatting the spread of COVID-19.
In 1905, Chicago lawyer, Paul Harris, formed the first Rotary Club. His idea was for professionals from various backgrounds to get together, exchange ideas and establish friendships. The original friendship club evolved into a service club helping to solve challenging civic and social problems. The concept quickly spread throughout the United States and eventually throughout the world.
Today, 116 years later, there are 1.2 million members in 35,000 local Rotary clubs in more than 200 countries.
Among thousands of projects, Rotary’s signature international project has been a global challenge and fight to eradicate polio.
Rotary’s primary areas of focus include maternal and child health, water and sanitation, disease prevention and treatment, basic education and literacy, growing local economy, peace building and conflict resolution, and supporting the environment.
They all align with the motto “Service above Self. They profit most who serve best.”