Ang Magiting - The Official Web Site of Rotary Club Makati North

Fellowship, Recruitment and Social Projects

The work of Rotary is never-ending, but not so with this Rotary calendar year. I wish to propose that we narrow our focus during the last six months to three items.

First, strengthening our fellowship. In that regard, I’m again asking your help in boosting attendance at our weekly meetings, plus help in bringing in those members you are close to but have been absent for a while.

I wish to thank all those who attended the first meeting of 2009 last Wednesday. It was a fellowship meeting, but unlike previous club assemblies, the atmosphere was fun and the attendance was respectable. I hope that is a signal of the good things to come.

Second – and related to the first – build up our numbers.

Let’s start by calling back inactive and resigned members. Recruiting these people should be easier than getting people who have no idea what Rotary or RCMN is all about. And there are many fine people we can target – Bien Cabral, Dave Lorenzana, Enteng Romano, Jimmy Roa, and many, many others.

And so, if you are close to these people, help the club get them back on active status.

It will please you to know that last year, we had Rotarian Karl McLean return, and soon, we should have my sponsor, former Director Allison Artes, become activate again. Also, former Director Emilio Zulberti said he would be more active beginning February.

Of course, new blood is also important. And so, I wish to thank all those who have invited guests to weekly meetings and who continue helping with recruitment.

I realize that inviting guests to our lunch meeting can be costly. This is a legitimate concern, which is why I want to propose that we maximize our club projects. In other words, why not invite prospective members to the reading programs at Barangay Singkamas, to the working visit the site of our housing project with Gawad Kalinga, and other activities? Please refer to the schedule of activities in the weekly bulletin. What better way to “sell” the club to prospective members than to show them how we try to make help others?

Like before, we will try to organize other socials, which are yet other recruitment opportunities.

Third focus, I’m asking everyone to pitch in our major projects.

There is the matching-grant computer project that was initiated by Past President Gus Lagman. Now that we have the money, Gus said, the real work begins. Unlike before, he needs all our help to implement this worthwhile project.

This is a major item in our board meeting agenda today, and I hope to report details about what specific things are needed.

Another item on the agenda is the anniversary ball in May. If you recall, we are organizing a ball to help raise funds for service projects – primarily, Operation Smile Philippines.

Like the computer project in Pampanga, one man has been responsible for the preliminary work on the anniversary ball – Director Christophe Bellinger. There really isn’t much time between now and May. We will give you more specific requirements, so you will know how to get into the action, so to speak.

Besides the computer project, the anniversary ball and others mentioned earlier, there are plenty of activities to get involved with – the upcoming 4th Governor’s Leg and the LEAP Congress. These activities are still on – only postponed.

And so, if we can focus on the three items – fellowship, recruitment and social projects – I think we would wrap up this Rotary year successfully and meaningfully.