Strengthening the community one project at a time could very well be the mandate of the Rotary Club of South-East Nassau (RCSEN) and its youth arm, the Rotaract Club of South-East Nassau Centennial (RSENC).
For the most part, the clubs’ good works have gone under-reported whether it was feeding residents at the All Saints Camp, or reading to children at the Bilney Lane Children’s Home.
Under Rotary International’s 2013/2014 theme, “Engage Rotary, Change Lives,” active members of both clubs flit from one goodwill project to another in recent weeks and months.
Under the leadership of President Rema Martin (RCSEN) and President Jomar Miller (RSENC), a 26-strong team brought some early morning cheer to the residents of the All Saints Camp last month when they prepared and delivered a hearty breakfast. On the menu: bacon, ham, sausage, scrambled eggs and hash browns, along with rolls, fruit, pastries and fresh orange juice.
After breakfast, Rotarians & Rotaractors presented back-to-school back packs, donated by Commonwealth Bank, to the young children who call the camp home.
More recently, RCSEN furthered its goal to promote literacy in The Bahamas with pre-arranged reading sessions carried out at the Bilney Lane Children’s Home for three successive Saturday’s ending on September 7. Members of the Literacy and Scholarship Committee of the Rotary Club of South-East Nassau read a variety of children’s stories and provided lunch for the facility’s young residents.
“The book reading sessions were a great success as Rotarians from South-East Nassau were well received by Olivia Major, the Director of the home, her staff and the children,” said President Rema. “The children seemed happy to have Rotarians read to them and listen to them read as well.”
The Bilney Lane initiative wasn’t the first of its kind. RCSEN and RSENC also donated books to CC Sweeting High School and Claridge Primary, in addition to sponsoring a literacy programme in El Salvador in Central America, in observance of World Literacy Day.
Further RCSEN also partnered with the Rotary Club of Eleuthera to provide school bags and school supplies to the children of Bannerman Town Primary School.
Noticing the need for a cleanup exercise at the Harold and Wilson Ponds, Rotarians of RCSEN and Rotaractors of RSENC got busy, again.
With the assistance of Tracy Knowles, Peter Goudie, and Tim Ingraham (past presidents of RCSEN), the teams partnered with the Bahamas National Trust (BNT) for a rewarding community service project.
On September 14, the teams worked with the BNT to clear invasive cattails from around the boardwalk and the bird viewing platforms at one of the few national parks on New Providence. Their efforts provided the public with greater access to the tranquil, 250-acre national treasure.
“With the mindset of putting service above self, we’re always on the look-out for opportunities to make a positive change not only in the lives of others but in our community,” said President Rema.
The Rotary Club of South-East Nassau meets every Wednesday at East Villa Restaurant beginning at 12:30 p.m.
The Rotaract Club of South-East Nassau Centennial meets every second and fourth Wednesday at The Nassau Yacht Club beginning at 6:15 p.m. Both organizations have an online presence.
By Precision Media
Captions – From the top down:
On September 14, teams from the Rotary Club of South-East Nassau (RCSEN) and the Rotaract Club of South-East Nassau Centennial (RSENC) worked with the Bahamas National Trust (BNT) to clear invasive cattails from around the boardwalk and the bird viewing platforms at the 250-acre Harold and Wilson Ponds National Park.
The Rotary Club of South-East Nassau (RCSEN) and the Rotaract Club of South-East Nassau Centennial (RSENC) sponsored a breakfast for residents of the All Saints Camp back in August.
The Rotary Club of South-East Nassau (RCSEN) and its youth arm, the Rotaract Club of South-East Nassau Centennial (RSENC) donated books to CC Sweeting High School last month.
For three straight weekends ending September 7, Rotarians read to the young residents at the Bilney Lane Children’s Home. Rotarians were pleased to have the children read to them as well. The children are not allowed to be photographed.
Photo(s) courtesy of the Rotary Club of South-East Nassau (RCSEN)
