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News
A busy time for Seaford Rotarians
Over the past three months members of the Rotary Club of Seaford have been busy fulfilling their commitment to the ambitious programme they set themselves at the beginning of the Rotary Year.
In April an evening of 'Cockney Capers' with members of Seaford Inner Wheel Club and Seaford Martello Rotary Club, although intended as a social event, raised a total of ?754 for local charities.
Club President Frank Thompson has been busy handing out cheques to Seaford Head Community College (Performing Arts equipment), Searchlight Workshops (Minibus & Rotary Disabled Sports), McMillan Cancer Support, ShelterBox, Seaford In Bloom, and Chestnut Tree House (Children's' Hospice). In addition the Club has sponsored two local young people to attend RYLA courses designed to enhance leadership skills and also a local disabled person to attend the Great Britain Special Olympics.
On the International Front the Cub has, thanks to the support of two local residents, been able to support 'Children of Sumatra' - a charity dealing with the appalling problems facing children with hair lips and cleft palates and the Nceduluntu Trust (Gordon's Bay, South Africa). This project has been monitored by the local Rotary Club on behalf of Seaford Club thus ensuring that all the money sent is properly allocated to the construction of a Bungalow to house eight orphaned children most of whom have been abandoned. A donation to Rotary's own Charity, Rotary Foundation has also been made.
The total spent on the above listed items amounts to ?24,550 and has been possible thanks to the generosity of the residents of Seaford and their friends.
On Friday 5th June the Club welcomed a Group Study Exchange Team from Argentina as part of a reciprocal arrangement. A group from this District visited Argentina in April. This cultural and vocational project is financed by Rotary Foundation and designed to give business people and professionals aged between 25 and 40 a first hand experience as to how their chosen vocation operates in another country. The trip lasts for six weeks and involves visiting businesses and Rotary Clubs to promote the participants individual skills and knowledge.
Pictured are President Frank Thompson, Vice President John Owen and members of the GSE Team.
Whilst Rotary is generally best known for it's Charitable work there is also another side to this International Organisation which now has over 1.2 million members in over 200 countries throughout the world. When Paul Harris, a Chicago Lawyer, founded Rotary in 1905 the main objective was for businessmen to meet on a regular basis and to enjoy fellowship They took it in turns to meet at each others premises on a rotational basis, hence the origin of the name 'Rotary'.
To this day the fellowship generated through weekly meetings and social events enables Rotary Clubs to carry out an enormous amount of charitable work both locally, nationally and internationally.
Seaford Club is no exception and over the past few weeks members and partners have enjoyed day trips to Dickens World, and Chatham Docks as well as a four day break in Cheltenham. Guest Speaker at a recent evening meeting with partners was Cllr. Bob Lacy O.B.E., Chairman of ESCC who gave a very informative and amusing address on the subject of 'Russian Spies'. More recently the annual President's Ladies Night took place at East Sussex National Golf Club.
Visits to the Rotary International Convention at Birmingham, the District 1250 Conference in Jersey and a trip to the Harlingen Club in Holland to join in their 60th Anniversary celebrations are also part of the Club's social activities.
If you would like to find out more about Rotary or how to become a Rotarian please visit our websites. www.seafordrotary.org.uk or www.rotary.org
posted: Monday, 27 July 2009 |
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