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

THE BEST IS YET TO COME.

Two years ago, I was formally inducted as a Rotarian. How I came to be one is somewhat ‘unusual.’ Prior to the required pre-induction meetings, I knew little about the Rotary and I didn’t know a single Rotarian. I was also not recruited. I searched for a sponsor and asked to be sponsored.

Today, I have formally accepted my new role and had taken my oath as club president —— in the spirit of volunteerism and servant leadership—- and I now lead an outstanding group of successful professionals and accomplished businessmen, members of this prestigious club, the Rotary Club of Makati North. I am very humbled.

In my two years with the club, I have personally witnessed two transfers of club leadership —-from PP Porong Herrera to PP Joe Reano to IPP Klink Ang —- and I must say I am very fortunate to follow their footsteps for I am handed a capable organization with bonuses of their pledge of support.

Indeed, I am honored to join the club’s long line of leaders from the last 36 years —- proud men who had built a successful organization with a solid foundation and infrastructure that could well serve as a model for other clubs. Year after year, the members of the Rotary Club of Makati North had ably met and responded to the challenge offered by the Rotary’s mantra of “Service above Self.”

I am also quite privileged to be given the opportunity to work with a talented, hardworking, and versatile team of officers and directors that assures another productive year for this club. We now bare our major plans and goals for the next twelve months and, as always, service projects take priority:

* We will maintain, and enhance where possible, existing programs in our adopted communities of Barangay Sta. Cruz and Barangay Singkamas in Makati, with the eventual goal of achieving parity of projects between the two. (These current projects include: feeding program, reading program, Rotaract, and Interact. We will reinstate Rotaract & Interact in Barangay Singkamas.) * We will continue the tradition of supporting specific requests from our service communities and to date, the ‘wish list’ includes eye examination and provision of corrective eye wear to certain students. There is also a request to provide footwear to select group of children. * We shall continue to build at our Gawad Kalinga community in Tanay, Rizal in which the club had so far turned over 14 out of projected 100 homes. (And we may be closer to realizing our vision with this worthy project with the gracious offer of our PN Karl ‘Mac’ McLean to take the lead in this endeavor. * We will continue our support with the Stepping Stone Learning Center and we are prepared to ‘double’ and present that support NOW. * We will further strengthen relations with our foreign and local sister clubs and other partner-service organizations more particularly the Inner Wheel Club of Makati North. They are our generous partners and we shall always be grateful for their assistance, cooperation and fellowship. (To mention recent accomplishments: the computerization of two schools in Magalang and Porac in partnership with RC Hi-Fi (Los Angeles) and Operation Smile; also, annual support for L.E.A.P. with IWMN.) * We also invite other district clubs to identify ‘opportunities for service’ for possible partnerships, prioritizing clubs within our district cluster and, no less important, those of my blue team classmates from PETS. * RCMN has always served the district well and this club again commits its wholehearted support to the District under the most visionary, inspiring and fun leadership of District Governor Sid Garcia. (We are honored to host this year’s TRF Testimonial Dinner come Nov. 13, 2009.)

Nonetheless, the Rotary Club of Makati North is not a perfect club —- we have our share of ‘opportunities for improvement’ —- common among other clubs —- and to name a few: member recruitment, retention, member participation in club/district activities in terms of attendance and involvement; club leadership succession, payment of dues and other contributions, donor fatigue, and more.

Our members had earlier addressed some of the issues and this club will continue to put focus on itself. The officers and directors will lead as the club continues its self- examination to determine on how to best address these opportunities for improvement. We will share and convey our findings with the district and we shall utilize the resources available from the district as necessary. We expect to evolve from this ‘soul searching’ as a stronger and more relevant club —- one that could readily achieve its future goals and advocacies and one that could better serve its members, the District and the Rotary International.

To the officers, directors and members of the Rotary Club of Makati North, the tasks for the next twelve months may appear overwhelming but we’ve always had the necessary resources to do the job, thanks to our predecessors who had given their share of volunteerism and service to make our club what it is today.

Whenever called upon, the Rotary Club of Makati North has always delivered. With a bit of fun as we perform our service, we too shall deliver, for the future of our club, and the future of Rotary is in our hands.

To all Rotarians —- I say THE BEST IS YET TO COME.