Rotary DG challenges VI club members to step up their service
Stubbs was speaking as the featured speaker at the 2nd Annual Foundation Dinner held last night November 7, 2015 at Maria’s By The Sea.
“If we are not doing humanitarian service we are not honouring Rotary’s objective,” he said. “We have an obligation to go out into the community and understand the needs and requirements and make sure that we address them,” he said.
He said that notwithstanding that the VI might be one of the more affluent [countries] in the Caribbean, Rotarians need to go out into the communities and find where their help is needed most.
“I have a difficulty with communities who believe that they can sit back and enjoy the excesses of their community and leave the hard work for the Government to do. We as Rotarian men and women have a role to play and we need to make sure that we assume our rightful place,” he said.
He noted that for this to happen there needs to be a strong Rotary Foundation that would be able to support what the organisation needs to do.
“My question is, are we doing enough?” he asked. “Are we giving as much as we can to the Rotary Foundation?” he asked.
We can do more
Speaking about the efforts of young Jaleel F. Cameron, Stubbs said, “I happened to go to your hospital yesterday and I saw on the wall the plaques of the various corporations who made donations to the hospital.”
He said that what caught his attention of a plaque of a young man who was an ‘Early Acter’ – Jaleel F. Cameron.
“[This is a young man]; 10 years old, diagnosed with epilepsy. He goes to the hospital to find that they don’t have the facilities that he needs to be treated. What does he do? Does he go home and claim that the Government is not doing enough? No. He decided that he will do something about it and he raised $27,000 for the hospital. Doesn’t that say to you that as much as you have done you can do a little more?” asked Stubbs.
He charged the Rotarians that they need to give of themselves to the benefit of those who are in need.
“Sitting here tonight at dinner is wonderful. You’ll have a good time. You’ll go home and you’ll sleep and you’ll get up in the morning and you’ll do it all over again. But there are some people tonight who will go to bed hungry,” he said.
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5 Responses to “Rotary DG challenges VI club members to step up their service”
My concern has to do with the plaque that is placed on the homes of individuals/families who may be viewed by some as the 'less fortunate' when projects are completed. I wince every time I see these signs, for they are in essence saying, 'look what we did for people who could not /did not help themselves.' The posted signs also give the appearance that this service club is tapping itself on the back and fluffing its chest for the humanitarian services provided. Couldn't evidence of the good deeds be less visible?
Just wondering.