5th Tuesday - GAMES NIGHT SOCIAL

On the 5th Tuesday of any month the Rotary Club of Montego Bay replaces their weekly luncheon meeting with a 'social' and  on Tuesday 31 August, Past President Ann Chen Ueker's legendary games nights was the hit of the summer.

With nearly 40 Rotarians and friends in attendance, an enlarged version of Pictionary (a drawing game, where teams have to guess what word their designated 'artisit' is drawing in under a minute) was organised and Rotarians and friends teamed up to battle their way around the game board using flip charts to draw such words as: Indianapolis 500 ; steam roller, plant, Dad. . .

After a competitive battle between the green, yellow, blue and red teams, the red team edged their way ahead and with some lightning fast guesses from husband and wife duo Natasha (Rotary Club of Montego Bay) and Bertram (Rotary Club of Rosehall), their friends Moralda Green and Melaine Myrie they shouted the loudest, guessed first and WON !

A super evening of cocktails, light fare and competition enjoyed by all .

Past President Ann Chen Ueker explains the rules
whilst husband Steven shows the game board

Team YELLOW start the ball rolling

Team BLUE in competitive form

An "all play" where artists from each team compete,
all drawing the same word for their team to guess

Hear no evil - Speak no evil - See no evil

Team GREEN in guessing mode captained by President Mexine

The winning RED team.
L - R Moralda Green. Rotarian Bertram Clarke,
Melaine Myrie, Rotarian Natasha Parchment-Clarke

NEW GENERATIONS CHAIR MOTIVATES ROTARACT CLUB OF MOBAY COM COLLEGE

New Gen Chair Andrea Hamilton gives words of encouragement

New Generations Chair Andrea Hamilton gave a motivational speech to the newly installed executive committee of The Rotaract Club of Montego Bay Community College at a short and sweet installation ceremony held by The Rotaract Club of Montego Bay at Pier One on Wed 25 Aug 2010.

Newly elected President Brett Lee promised a change in the way people look at the club ; an increase in active members and more island wide inter-clubbing as well as a mentorship programme with their sponsoring club the Rotary Club of Montego Bay East.

A truly encouraging gathering of 40+ young professionals , together on a damp evening in ‘service above self’ !

Left - right: Rotaract Club of MBCC Pres. Brett , Rotaract Club of Mobay Pres. Leon , Rotary Club of Mobay New Gen Chair Andrea , Rotary Club of Mobay East member Kurt . Rotaract Club of MBCC Staff Advisor Oneil 

All members of the executive committee of the Rotaract Club of Mobay Com Coll

plus Rtn Andrea and Rotaract Club of Mobay Pres. Leon (far left)

PHOTOS OF INSTALLATION

GSE Team : From Virginia to Jamaica

VIRGINIA IS FOR Lovers of Jamaica! How else can you possibly sum up a five week experience that equates to a crash course in a country’s cultural essence, and enables total strangers to bond like family within a three day period of living under the same roof?

The Rotary International Group Study Exchange (GSE) Program provides a comprehensive view of a country, its culture and its people, and is by far the best kept secret of Rotary. Jamaica is possibly the friendliest country on earth, and in the words of its tourist board, “Once you go, you [truly] know Jamaica, so it is impossible not to fall in love with the country and its people! Just ask Rotarian Mary Turpin (President-elect, Rotary Club of Rosslyn-Ft. Myers), Brian Ours (sponsored by the Rotary Club of Stafford), Brian Shea (sponsored by the Rotary Club of McLean), Demond Pollard (sponsored by the Rotary Club of Herndon), and Loán (Lo-An) Sewer (sponsored by the Rotary Club of Falls Church).

FORGING FRIENDSHIPS

From December 2009 to April 2010, GSE Team Virginia—which also originally included Anuj Phull (sponsored by the Rotary Club of McLean)— forged friendships that have evolved into lifetime relationships and prepared us for the adventure of a lifetime.

Click HERE to read the rest of the article written by Loán Sewer, GSE team member, sponsored by Rotary Club of Falls Church

EarlyAct Club featured in The Rotarian magazine!

The EarlyAct Clubs of Montego Bay, working with the Rotaractors of Montego Bay in October of last year raised over JA$200,000 with their Coin Collection Drive. The funds were raised for the Norwood Basic School in Norwood, Montego Bay. The Rotarian Magazine featured this success in its April 2010 issue of World Round Up.

Congratulations again to the EarlyActors and Rotaractors on this fantastic fundraiser!

More than 700 Rotarians to meet in Kingston for annual conference

MORE than 700 Rotarians of the Rotary District 7020 are to gather at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel in Kingston today for the start of one of the Rotary Club International's most prestigious annual conferences.

The four-day conference will see over 400 local Rotarians playing host to 300 of their colleagues from The Cayman Islands, The Bahamas, The Turks and Caicos Islands, St Martin and St Maarten, St Barthelemy, Anguilla, The British and US Virgin Islands as well as from the United States of America -- Georgia, Virginia, North and South Carolina, and Florida.

Prime Minister Bruce Golding will address the official opening ceremony of the conference on Thursday, following two days of Rotary's Presidents-Elect Training Seminars.

At a press conference on April 19, District Governor of Rotary District 7020 Errol Alberga said that while the theme of the conference is "The Future of Rotary is in your Hands", the group had also been promoting the conference with the 'One Love' tag line, channelling the popular song of Reggae icon Robert Nesta Marley.

"With so many countries in Rotary District 7020, it is a special vote of confidence for Jamaica to be hosting this year's conference which will discuss and define the road map for Rotary going forward," said Alberga, a noted Jamaican architect.

He said that the conference planning committee, which is chaired by Rotarian Dr Paul Brown, "has been engaged for over a year defining a programme of activities that ensures the work of Rotary gets done efficiently and effectively, while Kingston gets an opportunity to shine as both a business and leisure destination".

Alberga noted that in addition to Prime Minister Golding and Governor General Sir Patrick Allen, who will attend the awards banquet on May 8, 2010, a number of other distinguished Jamaicans will address the conference. They include Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett, Dr Maureen Samms Vaughn, Earl Jarrett and Ibo Cooper.

He also acknowledged the support of main sponsors LIME, the Jamaica Pegasus, the Bank of Nova Scotia, Caribbean Cement Company, Jamaica Broilers, Grace Kennedy & Company Limited and Geddes Refrigeration Limited.

Noting that the Rotary Clubs of Jamaica last year celebrated "50 years of international service which has benefitted communities across the island", Alberga said that Rotarians are motivated by these achievements and the satisfaction of seeing the benefits of their labour accrue to their fellowmen.

He said that while 2010, like 2009, is proving to be challenging across the globe "Rotarians are not afraid of challenges as we continue to keep sight of our Rotary motto 'Service Above Self'."

"With all of our partners we will ensure that Rotary District 7020 Conference is a success for all Rotarians, for capital city Kingston and for Jamaica land we love," he said.

Source: The Jamaica Observer

Rotary Club of Rose Hall Montego Bay Charter Night

President of the Rotary Club of Montego Bay, Michelle Daswani and Rotary Club of Rose Hall Montego Bay member Melissa Chang at the Installation and Charter Banquet


On Friday the 23rd of April 2010, the newest Rotary Club in Jamaica held it's Charter and Installation Banquet at the Rose Hall Great House in Montego Bay. The Rotary Club of Rose Hall Montego Bay was sponsored by the Rotary Club of Montego Bay.

Newly installed President of the Rotary Club of Rose Hall, Michael Baugh (far left) poses with other Rotary Club Presidents (L-R) Donovan G Brown, President of the Rotary Club of St. Andrew North, Manoj Ramchandani, President of the Rotary Club of Montego Bay Sunrise, Michelle Daswani, President of the Rotary Club of Montego Bay and Audley Knight, President of the Rotary Club of Montego Bay East

For more highlights from the event click here.

All Photos courtesy of Michelle Daswani (c)

Gourmet Bake Sale - Saturday May 1

THE RACE TO LITERACY IS ON IN MONTEGO BAY

Interactors at Cornwall College gather round and discuss their plans for spring cleaning and bringing all their old textbooks to contribute to the Race Toi Literacy Book Drive Project. Pictured left to right Rotarian Natasha Parchment-Clarke; Island Books @ Whitter Shopping Village owner Rayer Headly; Interact President Norman Malcolm (back row); Head Boy Malike Kellier ; Ivan Godfrey; Odaine Thomas; teacher Nadine Ellis Hall

On Monday 29 March, Rotarian Natasha Parchment-Clarke and Rayer Headly, owner of Island Books at Whitter Shopping Village, visited schools in and around the second city starting the challenge that could end in a Guinness Book of World Record being set.

Island Books at Whitter Shopping Village in association with The Rotary Club of Montego Bay, partnering with the Montego Bay EarlyAct Clubs have joined the international race to beat the Guinness Book of World Record set in 2008 at Rotary International’s convention in California where 242,624 books were donated to charity in a 7-day period.

For the month of April, books will be brought to schools by students, teachers and their families and Island Books will collect, count and store until May 1 – 7 , the official 7-day period during which donated books will be handed over to Rotary Clubs all over Jamaica to set the record.
To spice things up island style, Island Books has offered to donate a lap top to the school who collects the most books. The books can be of any kind - new, used, fiction, children’s novels, adults, cook-books, textbooks, etc.

The books collected will be donated to The Jamaica Library Service and the lap-top computer presented to the winning school on Teacher’s Day 5 May.

Naz Children’s Centre had a motivated principal, Alixann Narcisse-Campbell who quipped: “you might as well leave the lap top here – we have awesome parents at this school and with their children’s encouragement I know we’ll win this challenge” ; Cornwall College Interactors embraced the challenge and pledged to spring clean their homes and bring in their old textbooks and more ; Heinz Simonitch received their flyers with enthusiasm and immediately students began chattering about how many books they would bring ; Mount Alvernia Prep’s Principal accepted the challenge and instead of a lap top requested a smart board which she enthusiastically detailed the wonders of; Greenwood Prep’s Principal and EarlyAct co-ordinator eagerly took their box and happily reminisced about the successful coin-drive carried out in September 2009 where over J$ 200, 000 was collected by Montego Bay EarlyAct clubs ; Montego Bay Prep‘s EarlyAct teacher co-ordinator Mrs. Hudson was found at the desktop computer in the main office of the school and was determined that her vibrant club would win the lap top – it would save her coming to the office all the time she joked ; Edwards Prep high energy parent Sophia Alexandropolous was as enthusiastic as ever, promising to rally the troops during devotions and assemblies before and after the Easter break ; John Rollins Success Primary’s Principal looked forward to the book drive and more so , forming an Early-Act Club at her school in the new term.

EarlyAct teacher co-ordinator ; Principal and members of the EarlyAct Club of Greenwood Prep receive their collection box from Rotarian Natasha Parchment-Clarke; Island Books @ Whitter Shopping Village owner Rayer Headly.

As the trip was concluded, Lucas & Savannah Clarke, 2 EarlyActors and children of Rotarian Natasha, who assisted with the tour of schools mused: “If every student of Success Primary brings 1 book , we would collect over 1,000 books ; 2 books each, that’d be 2,000 books – WOW!” , and on that note the Race To Literacy Book Drive Project began in Montego Bay :

“W-O-W”.

Island Books @ Whitter Shopping Village owner Rayer Headly, Rotarian Natasha Parchment-Clarke and EarlyAct teacher co-ordinator of Montego Bay Prep Mrs. Hudson pose in front of the school’s showcase of trophies and medals with their box for the book drive.

Article and photos contributed by Natasha Parchment Clarke (c)

Snapshots from Wine 10 - Part 1

All Photos Courtesy of Michelle Daswani (c)