Swing for Pink Golf on Oct 14 at Apo Golf

THE Rotary Club of Central Davao, the Rotary Club of Downtown Davao which I am a former member of, and the Rotary Club of Matina Davao are inviting everyone to join the tournament named ‘Swing For Pink’. This is scheduled on October 14, 2017 which is tomorrow, and it will be held at Apo Golf & Country Club.

Swing for Pink is a charity golf tournament that supports breast cancer victims. We are encouraging you all to participate in this fund-raising event. As you can see, it is for a very good cause.

The registration fee is P 2,000. Shotgun start at 6am and 11am. Good luck to the participants!

The term ‘Rotary’ brings back a lot of fond memories. My family was a hard core Rotary International supporter/member. My father, the late Antonio “Tonygars” M. Garcia, is a Past District Governor (PDG) of District 3860. My parents were members of RC West-Davao. My mom, Baby Q. Garcia, was a very active Rotary Ann. Of course she needed to be, being the wife of a very active Rotarian, and a PDG for that matter.

Eversince we were kids, my family hosted Rotary Exchange students almost every year, to live with us. My siblings—Jackie, Albert, Ted and I, we all became Rotary Exchange students as well. I went to Pennsylvania for almost a year after finishing high school.

So, what is Rotary International about? Wiki says, “Rotary International is an international service organization whose stated purpose is to bring together business and professional leaders in order to provide humanitarian services, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and to advance goodwill and peace around the world. It is a non-political and non-sectarian organization open to all people regardless of race, color, creed, religion, gender, or political preference. There are 34,282 member clubs worldwide, and 1.2 million individuals, known as Rotarians, have joined.”

In order to fulfill the motto of the org, they need to raise funds too. The more the funds, the more the projects, and the more they will be able to provide help to the needy. One such project is this golf tournament.

I remember that being a Rotarian was not all work and no play. OMG, RC West had so many fun activities. Always meeting up for parties, socials like durian-eating, BTW, it is durian season, yehey! Aside from the weekly meetings and the socials, there were conferences held locally and internationally. A lot of traveling!

So, back to me—after college, when I was already working, my father then told me that it was time for me to follow his footsteps. It is time for me to become a Rotarian. Uh-oh. I told myself, why his footsteps, why not my mom’s footsteps and be a simple supportive Rotary Ann. Me? A Rotarian!? Of course I tried being one. And I am grateful to RC Downtown Davao for giving me the opportunity to serve the organization. Thank You RC Downtown-Davao! Hello former fellow members! Hello Charter President Len A. Magno!

Follow my dad’s footsteps in golf, yes, gladly. But I am the type of person who prefers the laid back type of life. And if you are a Rotarian, especially a very active one, it requires a lot of your time. Must be hands on… same with politics!

Note to self, no to politics and no to prestigious international organizations for now and the near future. That is just me talking.

But for the rest of you, trust me, being a Rotarian has its perks. I feel like not only am I trying to sell the Rotary golf tournament, but also Rotary International itself. Hehe.

Back to Swing for Pink. Again, please join this tournament. Your participation will be highly appreciated.