Rotary Club’s MoBay chapter celebrates 60th anniversary virtual style
THE ROTARY Club of Montego Bay did not allow the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic to stop them from celebrating their 60th anniversary yesterday, as they used the popular Zoom platform to connect members for a virtual celebration of the important milestone.
Operating as a communityservice organisation in St James since its inception in 1961, the Rotary Club has made a major mark on the western parish, contributing to many important projects in Montego Bay and the wider St James.
The celebration, which showcased videos of the history of the Montego Bay chapter’s outreach activities, was shared with representatives from other Rotary Club branches, who showered tribute on the Montego Bay-based organisation for its sterling work over the years.
Nana Boakye-Agyemang, the current president of the Rotary Club of Montego Bay, offered a tribute in honour of past Rotarians who helped to develop the Montego Bay chapter into a recognisable outreach group, which has provided invaluable service to others over the decades.
“As we celebrate our 60th anniversary, we want to pay tribute to past Rotarians who blazed a trail for us and who have left a rich legacy of service here in St James. We who have come behind them wish to continue this legacy of service,” Boakye-Agyemang told the meeting.
“The past Rotarians have established a club that has grown over 60 years to be a club that can be described as a perfect embodiment of ‘service above self.’ For us, the present Rotarians, our challenge now is to remain relevant and to continue to serve our fellow humankind in this parish,”added Boakye-Agyemang.
The Rotary Club’s Montego Bay chapter began on March 21, 1961, as an all-male club, under the leadership of its first president, Mervin Dullum, and its first district governor, Pishu Chadiram. Women were eventually granted membership into the chapter in 1987, with Erica Dasilva becoming the chapter’s first female president.
Since its inception, the Montego Bay chapter has worked on several projects to benefit St James’ local infrastructure and education sector, including the building of the Railway Lane Basic School and the provision of water tanks for several schools in the parish. The group has also provided wheelchairs for disabled children, constructed a 16-bed wing with staff accommodation at the St James Infirmary, and provided relief assistance during natural disasters, among other outreach efforts.
In acknowledging the Montego Bay chapter’s longevity, Alva Wood, the president of the Rotary Club of Kingston, urged the group’s members to maintain their standards of selflessness for the sake of their local community.
“I remind you to view each year as a new opportunity to open doors of service and to continue to be a beacon of light for disadvantaged communities in Jamaica. Keep on shining and soaring to new heights of service,” said Wood.