Rotary Mobay partners with Carrollton-Farmers Branch Rotary Club

Regina Edwards presenting a cheque to The Rotary Club of Montego Bay as part of the Joint Project

As a Joint Project with Rotary Club of Montego Bay, coordinated by International Projects Director PP Bhagwan Chuganey, Past President Regina Edwards of The Carrollton-Farmers Branch Rotary Club arrived in Jamaica with her family on the 28th of April 2010. She brought with her a large shipment of:

 Medical Equipment & Supplies for Cornwall Regional Hospital;
 Cash & kind ,which included disposable supplies, children's video cassettes, and many other goodies for donation to the West Haven and Blessed Assurance Places of Safety for children;
 Books for contribution to the Literacy Drive

The Rotary Club of Carrollton-Farmers Branch has partnred with our Club almost every year providing over US$200,000 worth of equipment and medical supplies.

President Michelle pinning Regina Edwards

Past President Regina Edwards of the Carrollton-Farmers Branch Rotary Club took time out from her vacation in Jamaica with her family on the 28th of April to deliver the equipment and supplies and to present a cheque to our Club to complete the project.

Unloading Cargo at the Port

A very special Thanks to The Carnival Conquest who transported the goods from Texas to Montego Bay.


All photos courtesy of Michelle Daswani (c)

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)

GSE Australia Team hosted by the Rotary Club of Montego Bay

L-R: PP & GSE Team Leader Trevor Lynch, Katrina Mason, President Michelle Daswani, Philipp Bourquin, Dayle McGeachie, Scott Johnson and GSE Director Immediate Past President Kay Reuben at Lunch Meeting of the Rotary Club of Montego Bay

At our Lunch meeting on the 27th of April 2010, President Michelle Daswani welcomed the Group Study Exchange Team visiting from Australia. The Team Leader, Past President of the Rotary Club of East Maitland, Australia, Trevor Lynch was presented with a Paul Harris Medallion by our Past President George Palmer.

The Team Leader, PP Trevor Lynch, and each of the other four members of the team gave interesting and informative presentations about themselves, their work, their families, special interests and aspects of Australian geography, life, culture and heritage.

PP Trevor Lynch thanked PP George and the Club for bestowing the Paul Harris Medallion on him. He also thanked the various Hosts of the Team and those who have helped to transport and look after them. He stated that highlights of their stay in Montego Bay have been the Rose Hall Rotary Club's Installation & Charter Banquet, visits to schools and to the Jamaica Public Service.

Trevor is a retired Mathematics teacher and has been a Rotarian for 15 years. He lists sport as an important part of his life. He highlighted the different types of snakes of Australia, informing the meeting about their reputation, danger and antidote to their bite.

Other Team members are :-

Dayle McGeachie - sponsored by the Rotary Club of Charlestown, is an Area Coordinator for the Ronald McDonald Learning Programme. The program supports the educational needs of children recovering from serious illness, by providing individual learning programs.
She also facilitates Professional Development courses to make Educators aware of the effects of serious illness on a child’s education. Dayle also holds National and World titles in Surf Lifesaving.

Philipp Bourquin – sponsored by the Rotary Club of Nelson Bay, works in the Energy Utilities Industry overseeing the operation and maintenance of natural gas infrastructure, having under his management a team of 36 people. He enjoys outdoor activities and is an active member of the local Surf Life Saving Club.

Katrina Mason – sponsored by the Rotary Club of Newcastle Sunrise, works as a Residential Case Manger in the Youth Service. Katrina is responsible for 15 children and young people, the training of caseworkers and a team of youth workers. Katrina enjoys travelling and has spent long periods in South East Asia and New Zealand. She especially enjoys activities which revolve around the ocean.

Scott Johnson – Sponsored by the Rotary Club of Morisset, is a Residential Programme
Coordinator at a Sports and Recreation Centre. Scott’s role is to organise a wide variety of clients and provide mainly recreational activities for them. These include archery, sailing, canoeing and rock climbing, to name a few. The majority of the clients are school children but he also provides programmes for family groups. Scott enjoys sport especially cricket and golf.

The Group was hosted by The Rotary Club of Montego Bay East on the evening of Monday the 19th of April at a member's home and visited the Rotary Club of Montego Bay Sunrise, The Rotary Club of Falmouth and Lucea before heading to Kingston for the District Conference.

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)