Rotary Installation Speech June 25th 2015

Liz Cox

President

Rotary Club of Georgetown, Guyana

2015-2016

 

CEO Casper Investments Inc.

Training and Strategic Advisor (Insurance & Management)

 

Sir Shridath Ramphal, PDG Dunstan, AG Marcel, IPP Ronald , Members of the Rotary Family, Guests and Fellow Rotarians Good Evening!
 

“It sometimes seems that we live as if we wondered when life was going to begin. It isn’t always clear just what we are looking for, but some of us sometimes persist in waiting so long that life slips by – finding us still waiting for something that has been going on all the time…there is no reason to doubt good intentions – but when in the world are we going to begin to live as if we understood that this is it? This is life? This is our time, our day, our generation…our one chance to do something for somebody else. This is the life in which the work of this life is to be done…this is it, whether we are thrilled or disappointed, busy or bored! Givers or takers. This is life, it is all we’ve got- and it is passing. What in the world are we waiting for?”

Those were the words of Past Rotary International President Richard L. Evans who almost 50 years ago summed up the urgency of our work in Rotary. It was relevant then and still very relevant today.
 

I am humbled that I have been given the responsibility of leading a Club with such a glorious past and promise the members of this Club that I will give it my best ‘shot’. I would like to ensure that the good work is continued so that we can realise our vision ‘to be the Rotary Club of Choice’.
 

I wish to thank the immediate Past President Ronald for his stewardship over the last 12 months – one thing that I have learnt from him is that you keep smiling even when the message is not so delightful and he has taken the word ‘cool’ to whole new level… be warned IPP Ronald – I will not allow you to slip away into the woodwork!

On behalf of the Board I wish to thank our membership, Rotaractors, Interactors, Inner Wheelers, my family and friends in advance for their support and together with constant guidance from our galaxy of Past Presidents (PPS…Perfect Pointers!) I am extra confident of success.
 

I also wish to specially thank the incoming Board for their willingness to serve and I do look forward to your dedication, commitment and support.

The theme for this year is “Be a Gift to the World” and in the words of RI’S President Ravi “every one of us have something to give- whoever we are, whatever our place in life. We can give our talent, our knowledge, our abilities, and our effort; we can give our dedication and our devotion. Through Rotary, we can take these gifts and make a genuine difference in the lives of others and in our world.”
 

President Ravi’s dream is for us to use those talents and gifts to transform lives over the next twelve months.
 

Our Club celebrated 56 years as a Rotary Club on May 20^th 2015 and we recruited the highest number of new members during this year thanks to Director Ralph, we should all be proud of the diversity of our club which continues to be very vibrant! More hands mean we can do more work to improve the lives of the less fortunate. But we also recognize that as we grow we need to continue to work to keep our members engaged and energized. This year our programmes and activities while maintaining a traditional slant will serve to recognize ‘The Legends of Our Time’ and to create an environment that will allow our young professionals the time and space to truly get involved with activities.
 

Permit me to share with you some of our plans for 2015-2016:

 

Now to the serious part of Club affairs, Fun and Fellowship! My board this year will equally pay attention to organizing fun and fellowship events which will include a ‘Latin Lime’, ‘Family Fun Day’ and a Progressive Dinner – to name a few

A detailed list of our activities is set out in our ‘Handbook’
 

Every year we aim to achieve the Presidential Citation, however, this year the goals set really reflect the changing face of Rotary as much emphasis is on using the online tool ‘Club Central’ – an effective tool that will monitor and showcase our goals. We wish to urge all Rotarians to sign in to ‘My Rotary’ and stay connected to Rotary and to the affairs of our club.
 

 President Ravi recently announced ‘The Rotary Global Rewards’ scheme which will give Rotary members access to discounts on a variety of products and services such as Hotels, car rentals, dining and entertainment. This initiative will be launched on the 1^st of July 2015 – this is how it will work: anyone can view the offers and discounts on Rotary Global Rewards. But only Rotary Club members who are signed in to their ‘My Rotary’ accounts can redeem them. You will be able to access rewards from your computer, smartphone or tablet. I believe that this should be a great incentive to Rotarians, especially those who travel often. Please let us know if you need help to set up your account.
 

Foundation Giving is another major area in the citation criteria and we will engage you, our members in giving to the Rotary Foundation in all categories.

We are indeed very proud of our sponsored Rotaract and Interact Clubs and we wish to extend congratulations to the Rotaract Club of Georgetown on the achievement of the significant milestone of 30 years as a Club – we look forward to participating in their anniversary activities.
 

This evening is also a very special moment in our history as we will be recognising the ‘Legends of Our Time’ – we have a group of some of the most respected and admired individuals who have been members of our Club for over 29 years. Their collective resume is unmatched and we wish to honour them and wish them continued good health. One of the first things Director Roger said to me was ‘Liz’ we have got to include these guys in a meaningful way and I will invite Director Roger… a legend in his own right  to chair this part of the programme- immediately following my speech!
 

Being a Rotarian is about the people we help. At the end of the day, the only thing that matters in Rotary is how much better the world becomes because Rotary is in it, because we made a difference! Complacency will set Rotary back. That’s why it isn’t enough for any of us to just go through the motions, to show up at our club meetings, to show up at an event to do the minimum needed just enough to be noticed and no more. I therefore wish to urge you all to attend club meetings regularly and recommit some more time to our projects and fellowship activities.
 

 In conclusion, I wish to state that over the last twelve months we have lit up Rotary so let us use that light to create a path so we can ‘Be a Gift to the World’.

Fellow Rotarians and guests I humbly accept the post of President of the Rotary Club of Georgetown.

 

Liz Cox