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Today as part of World Rotaract Week, we were privileged to have our meeting led by the ever-dynamic Rotaract Club of East Nassau. Acting President Puppy called the meeting to order at 1pm. Puppy asked us all to recite the Four Way Test and claimed that Past RI Director Barry was the only person who did so without reading the banner.
Invocation: PP Alan Wilson entertained us with the blessing on the gathering and the food and asked that we be preserved from indigestion.
Awards: Puppy gave a brief history of the Rotaract Club of East Nassau, which has been around for only 7 years but has already won District Club of the Year 3 times, and has always reached at least gold level. They have remained strong in spite of considerable turnover, which has included “graduating” seven of their members into our Club. Recent accomplishments include the Ride to Help Others, through which cumulatively they have collected 120 boxes of clothes and over 4,000 cans, and the “Captured by Rotaract” which raised over $7,000. Keep up the great work.
Visiting Rotarians and guests were welcomed including new member Adrian White’s Rotarian guest Gabrielli Mori, who is President of his Rotary Club in Italy.
Announcements: As usual our Club is very busy and there were many announcements concerning upcoming events: Richard Pyfrom (fishing tournament in June); Melissa Knowles (Nassau Sunrise Rotareats, see J.P. if interested), Iona Henderson (Nassau club raffle of Rotary charm), Corinne (East Nassau Foundation concert / raffle / silent auction), President Elmer (upcoming RLI in BVI in April); and a Rotaract Mix & Mingle at John Watlings.
Congratulations: – Barry was recognized for 27 years of perfect attendance – Good job! We welcomed back Paul Cartwright, who was rewarded with a case of beer for perfect attendance, as was PE Jason.
Sergeant: Incoming Rotaract President Ralpha Moxey did a great job as sergeant, fining many Rotarians including President Elmer (several times), Jean-Marc for his colourful glasses, Paul for coming back too soon (of course we were happy to have him back), Brent for “bailing himself” out of the Rotaract fundraiser, and Gary for retiring.
MEMBER BIRTHDAYS: Juan Iglesias (March 17th) and JR Boisclair (March 18th) are celebrating birthdays.
SPOUSE BIRTHDAYS: John Palmer’s Helen (March 15th) and Uli Voges’ Amanda (March 13th) are also celebrating birthdays.
WEDDING ANNIVERSARY: Mac and Carleton Robertson celebrate on March 19th.
JOINED DATE ANNIVERSARY: Our honorees this week demonstrate the diversity of our membership – Diane DeWitt (4 years) and Melissa Knowles (1 year) as well as Sidney Sweeting (46 years) and Terry Mosko (45 years). We are lucky to have such long-standing members still contributing to our Club while having newer members providing fresh input.
ABOUT ME TALKS: Melissa Knowles was born in Nassau and went to St. Andrew’s school before attending College of Charleston and Florida International University. After working in the hotel industry and international marketing in Florida, Melissa moved home a few years ago. Inspired by a Rotaract symposium on entrepreneurship including Barry Rassin (who featured throughout the meeting), Melissa recently started her own marketing company, Saffire Marketing. Melissa also enjoys boating, yoga and travelling.
Robert Blakesley has been married for 42 years and has two successful children who have obtained their masters degrees, all of which he considers significant accomplishments – this author strongly agrees, congratulations! Robert has worked in many places across the globe in the insurance claims business, has obtained multiple qualifications, and has also taught insurance. Robert has enjoyed various athletic activities over the year including cricket, football (soccer), golf, and running, and he climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro with his son. Robert is also passionate about the environment and wants to see it preserved for his grandchildren.
Shana Lee sounds like a good Bahamian name, but she traces her roots to Korea and Vermont. After working various jobs including a stint at the World Bank, Shana obtained her MBA in International Relations. Shana moved to The Bahamas to work in KPMG’s Corporate Finance Division, where she is an Associate Director working with former RCEN member Simon Townend. Shana specializes in business valuations which are often required for dispute resolution, acquisitions, and for financial reporting purposes (nothing like plugging a competitor). Shana enjoys travelling and trying new foods on her travels.
GUEST SPEAKER: Tony “Teej” Grant, former radio personality and current media specialist, began his presentation by quoting Wu-Tang Clan’s C.R.E.A.M. (Cash Rules Everything Around Me), an urban anthem lamenting the fact that people will do anything for money because cash rules everything (“Dolla dolla bill y’all”). Despite his apparent youth, Tony spoke strong words of wisdom which we can all benefit from. The recurring theme was that it is very important to keep your integrity at all times, and people should think about what legacy they will leave. Once your integrity is gone, you can never get it back. The youth of today use social media to complain but need to act; in order to progress, passion and integrity must be in place. Tony’s final message: don’t let cash rule you, you rule the cash (“Dolla dolla bill y’all”).
President Elmer thanked our speaker, and Acting President Puppy closed the meeting with a toast to “Rotary Around the World.”
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