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cOMMUNITY bUILDING RCE President Reviews His Midterm Performance And Shares Vision For 2017

Mr. Colin D. Moss (pictured), current President of the Rotary Club of Eleuthera (RCE), took up his position during a formal handover event at the end of June in 2016. Since taking on the responsibility of leading the Club, he has not been sitting on his laurels. The first project taken up during August of 2016 was the completion of a bus terminal near the SEEP Fire Station in Tarpum Bay for the use of students headed to school at Preston H. Albury High. To get it done Rotary partnered with the Tarpum Bay Town Council, Unity Builder’s, Local Government, One Eleuthera, CTI, and #1886 Clarence R. Walker Lodge. As part of a Literary push, starting in September 2016, which was Literacy Month on the Rotary calendar, members of Rotary, Rotoractors, as well as Interactors took part in readings at schools on the island, including the Zion Children’s Home, the School For Exceptional Learners and many pre-schools. With the aim of strengthening school boards, teachers, administration and staff at schools in Eleuthera, Rotary has partnered with others to assist with several donations to school projects, including; a PA system to the Preston Albury High School, through Alumnus Timothy Ingraham; plans at Emma E. Cooper primary include ramps to address disability access (working with the Men of Faith to get that accomplished) and taking a look at realigning the pavement at the rear, which is

uneven in areas, as well as a storage facility, with Rotary to assist with labour. At the Central Eleuthera High School, as a result of a Rotarian donation, building material has been provided to assist the Interact Club with their lunch bench project there, and Rotary is also looking to assist the PTA with their air-conditioning project. “In November, we were also part of a group that did walkabouts in Hatchet Bay and Gregory Town to try and sensitize the community about giving back, and aiding their children and the PTA by supporting their initiatives, and those efforts are still ongoing,” shared Colin. Two significant milestones, said President Colin, are being celebrated by Rotary International in 2017, with the first being 100 years of the Rotary Foundation. An international conference being held in Atlanta, where it all started 100 years ago, will be attended by a contingent of Rotarians out of Eleuthera from June 10-14. Also being celebrated in 2017 are 30 years of women in Rotary, which opened to them in 1987. Colin expressed the desire to celebrate both women in Rotary here in Eleuthera, as well as women in the wider community who’ve made significant contributions to the development of Eleuthera, in business, education, civics and the like. “Rotary has only been here in Eleuthera for the past seven years, but there are women who have been working long in advance of Rotary’s existence, so we want to highlight the contributions women have made on this island and continue to make.” Colin smiled, as he admitted that the number of women in Rotary on the island currently outnumber the men, with 20 women and 11 men. The Center for Training & Innovation (CTI) in Rock Sound has been selected by President Colin as a signature partner of the Rotary Club of Eleuthera during his term, he said, to be involved with impacting the lives of the students there, and contributing to their self-development. The Bannerman Town library is another project that Colin says he would like to see the Club continue to contribute to, explaining, “We want everyone, at some point, to say that they can feel the impact of what the Club is doing throughout the island, and not just felt in one particular area. That is important for us as we improve on what we do… Rotary is about service, and about how do we take the importance of service and spread that throughout the various locations that we have. Also to develop partnerships with others to do more. That’s the focus.”

The Eleutheran | Mar/Apr 2017

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