From Heart to Hand!

Nine Rotarians, 9 Interactors, 300 Care Packages, 300 Community Members, over 300 smiles, and a sunny day!

In the spirit of giving the Rotary Club of Portmore reached out to members of the Portmore Community, and conducted another care package distribution.

Together, the members prepared 300 bags containing assorted food and hygiene items, and together they distributed the bags to those who were in need.

From the budding Rotarians, in the form of Interactors, to RCPs selfless members, while there was a vast difference in all our backgrounds and ages, together, laughing, talking, distributing packages, we were exactly the same, and shared the same goal.

The care packages were distributed to persons in the Portmore Lane, Port Henderson Road, and Newlands communities of Portmore, St. Catherine. The Club has been distributing Care Packages in these communities SINCE 2001!

In this crazy era, where all we see is madness unfolding in the world, giving back is something the members of the Rotary Club of Portmore will be holding onto tightly. We will be creating moments where people come together to bring happiness to the lives of others.

We do this every year, and we welcome your donations and contributions to our efforts for next year. Cash, Kind, or a helping hand, we welcome it all!

President Olive on Economic and Community Development.

President’s October Message!

The month of October is themed by Rotary International as Economic and Community Development Month. This theme is especially fitting for our Jamaican community and by extension, our Jamaica Economic. Our little island is still struggling economically, especially since the last recession, yet alone, the various marginalise communities that also make up our society.

When our people, especially the youths, are not empowered, our economy suffers. It is therefore of paramount importance to empower our communities in order to truly achieve sustainable economic development.

We as Rotarians can start by identifying the needs in our own Communities so that we can play our part of empowerment for community and economic development. We can make a difference by:

– Helping schools to plant Vegetable Gardens so that this can help to subsidize requirement to prepare meals for the children each day.

– We can follow through on our commitment to becoming a partner in the ‘Trees that Feed’ initiative. This will see us planting high yielding breadfruit trees that can be used to make many different nutritious meals for our children so that they don’t have to be absent from school because they don’t have a meal. This initiative will also provide jobs for members of the community through Small community Based Milling Factories that would be set up, therefore impacting the economy positively.

– Creating more Community Skills Centre where the youth can be taught basic skills for survival (dressmaking, computer graphics, housekeeping, bartending etc.).

There are so many other things that we can do that reflect this month’s theme.

All in all, the community of Portmore and the wider Jamaica has an economic and community developmental need. Let us build camaraderie through partnering with businesses and other community groups to increase Rotary’s visibility and public awareness in our Communities so that we too can play our part in building sustainable communities and thus, an economically healthy country.

Preparing Tomorrow Today!

“I believe that investing in our children’s development from the earliest age is the single most important contribution we can make.” – Jay Weatherill 45^th premier of South Australia

It was with this in mind that members of the Rotary Club of Portmore set out to donate school supplies to the Port Henderson Basic School in Portmore St. Catherine.

Fresh from summer vacation, sixteen bright eyed children gathered in the space that was their classroom, buzzing with excitement. It was amazing to see how excited they were to learn, how ready they were to take on the day.

Deciding to take a hands-on approach in helping to write the nation’s future and promote Basic Education and Literacy, the Rotary Club of Portmore presented a wealth of stationery to these little ones through their teacher Mrs. Edna Mattis.

Like the students, she too was excited for the donation. In expressing gratitude for the contribution, Mrs. Mattis explained that though the student population is dwindling, she had high hopes for the ones that remained.

“Children taught at an early age usually benefit from improved social skills, less or no need for special education instruction during subsequent school years, better grades, and enhanced attention spans. Likewise, some researchers have concluded that young children enrolled in pre-school programs usually graduate from high school, attend college, have fewer behavioral problems, and do not become involved with crime in their adolescent and young adult years.” That is what we want for our children; that is what we want for our future.

The Rotary Club of Portmore is interested in seeing Jamaica develop on all levels; especially that of education and literacy, as well as in respect to Vision 2030 Jamaica, which seeks to make Jamaica the place of choice to live, work, raise families, and do business.

Kofi Annan, Seventh Secretary General of the United Nations, said: “Literacy is the road to human progress and the means through which every child can realize his or her full potential.”

The Rotary Club of Portmore looks forward to the future of Portmore with hope as children at the Port Henderson Basic School, through this donation, are being given a head start to realizing their full potential.

The Rotary Pin: A Conversation Starter!

A Jewish man, before saying who he is, can be identified by his Kipa, a cheerleader by her uniform and pom-poms, and a Lakers fan by his face paint and jersey during basketball season.

Like the cheerleader, the Jewish man, and the Lakers fan, we should wear the paraphernalia that identify us as Rotarians. One such thing is the Rotary pin. Wearing our Rotary branded lapel pins show that we are part of an organization; wearing them says we are all in this together!

Old pin

Wearing our Rotary branded paraphernalia should not only make us feel proud, but also provide the opportunity to have an imposing effect on others. Our Rotary branded shirts, etc, all help us to stand out in the crowd. They help us to be easily recognizable and also distinguish us for the service that we give, and the things that we do.

Past RI President Bob Barth had said “a Rotary pin should say this about the wearer: ‘You can rely on me, I am dependable, I am reliable, I give more than I take, and I am available.’ I can’t think of a better reason to wear it at all time.”

Rotarian Greg Lynch said that wearing our Rotary pins is a status symbol. But he didn’t stop there, Rotarian Greg said the Rotary pin sets the wearer a part as a person concerned with his or her community, an ethical person, probably active and knowledgeable about business, and it silently speaks the words all Rotarians know “Service Above Self”.

It’s part of our bond as members of Rotary; it’s a symbol of the strength of who we are.

“If you don’t wear your pin, you’re cheating yourself out of one of the best parts of Rotary, the experience of sharing”. (Anonymous)

So, do you always wear your Rotary lapel pin? Wear it! Be proud to be a Rotarian. Many times the pin will be noticed and questioned. You never know when a stranger is going to notice your pin and give you an opportunity to explain Rotary to them.

Whenever we wear our pins with consistency it eventually becomes easily recognizable, and with that more people will know who we are, and what we stand for. It will also make us memorable! Let’s start a conversation!

The Rotary Club of Portmore’s 14 Day Book Challenge is LIVE!

September is being observed as Basic Education and Literacy Month, and for the final two weeks of this month RCP has a little challenge for our social media friends! Ready? Here Goes!

From September 14 to 28, post a picture based on the theme for the day. Tag us on Instagram @rotaryportmore and use the hashtag #RCP14DayBookChallenge and #powerfulwords. Oh and don’t forget the day number, hashtag that as well #DayX. This way we will be able to view and repost your photos.

Rules:

Follow us on instagram @rotaryportmore
Participants must post theme on Instagram
A powerful/inspirational quote must be posted along with each photo
Challenge is open to everyone, however only persons living in Jamaica will be eligible to win prizes
Photos must be original
Photos must be tagged @rotaryportmore and the hashtags #RCP14DayBookChallenge, #powerfulwords #DayX (X being the day number) must be used
The photos will be judged based on creativity, and consistency. The number of likes received will also help to determine the winner, so get your friends to like your pictures.
The winners will be announced on September 29, 2015, and will receive their prizes at our General meeting on September 30, 2015
Remember all photos must be original.

(tap photo to enlarge)

Wait did we mention that there are prizes to be won? No? Well there are prizes to be won.

First: Movie pass for 4 courtesy of Palace Amusement

Second: Meal Voucher to TGIF

Kicking and Screaming: How DG Felix Became a Rotarian and More!

District Governor Felix Stubbs spoke with the RCP Review during his recent visit to Jamaica. He didn’t have the time for 21 questions so we only posed nine. 🙂 Learn more about the Governor of the Awesome District 7020!

Why Rotary? There are so many service organizations out there, how did you narrow it down; what was it that caused you to choose Rotary of them all? I didn’t choose Rotary. I was dragged kicking and screaming by a good friend. It turned out that it was one of the best things that has happened in my life.
We know that it has only been one full month into your tenure as Governor for this awesome District, but tell us, how has it been so far? The experiences that Carla and I have enjoyed visiting clubs have been far greater than our wildest expectations. I can safely say that Rotarians are special people.
Though you have a year to accomplish all that you have set out for the Awesome D7020, is there anything that you would like to see accomplished, say at the end of six months? Rotary Clubs are doing wonderful work in their communities and I am extremely pleased about that. My wish is that Rotarians do a better job of sharing their time, talent and treasures with the Rotaract, Interact and Earlyact Clubs that they sponsor.
In line with Membership Month, we just have to ask, Quality or Quantity, what should the Clubs focus on when seeking to gain new members? Both. There are lots of potential Rotarians willing to join us, if we ask them. The more members we have, the more good work we are able to do. At the same time, however, we have to ensure that we are asking “quality” persons to join. Bear in mind that “quantity persons” can be turned into “quality members”. We have to ensure that once persons join, we engage them in service projects that interest them – early and often.
Can you name a person who has had a tremendous impact on you as a leader? Maybe someone who has been a mentor to you? Why and how did this person impact your life? My mother. She was a very quiet woman who was small in stature but had enormous personality. She had the ability to command respect by giving persons the opportunity to demonstrate their ability in a safe environment – whether it was in the community or her church. Young people, in particular, were attracted to her.
What is your favourite line of the 4-Way-Test? “Will it build good will and better friendship”
This maybe a tough one but we have to ask, what do you think is the biggest challenge facing D7020, and by extension Rotary as an Organization? The biggest challenge facing D7020 is the state of the economy in our countries and the difficulties that that is creating for the survival of many of our smaller clubs. Growing membership in recent years has been challenging both at the District and International levels.
What is the best advice you ever received? “Do unto others as you would have them do to you.”
How do you balance your role as District Governor with other aspects of your life? That’s a question I get asked all the time and I’m still searching for the answer. I’m very fortunate that my wife Carla shares my passion for Rotary. She is a Past President and knows the organization very well. That is of tremendous benefit to me. As it relates to the other things I do, I’ve had the good fortune to lead most of them and I’ve enjoyed wonderful support. So I guess you can say that I’ve been able to attract some wonderful and highly skillful persons to support me which allows me to have time for many things.

Attraction or Retention: Where should the Focus be Placed?

Trying to figure out whether membership retention is more important than membership attraction is like trying to figure out if your lungs are more important than your brain; okay probably not a good comparison, but you get the picture. You won’t be able to survive for long if neither of them is working properly. Likewise your Rotary Club will soon become irrelevant, and seize to exist, if you are not able to keep the members you have, or attract new ones.

The hype is most often times placed on attracting mew members, but believe it or not, membership retention is just as important as membership attraction. Maybe even more important; and because of its importance Rotary Clubs should always be trying to come up with new ways to keep their current members.

Think about it . . . if your Rotary Club cannot retain its present members, how then will it be able to retain the new members that it attracts? Also if no one wants to stay, then no one will want to join. Best Association, in speaking about membership retention in an organization said “Mathematically, if your association has membership retention problems, you will have to work much harder on the recruitment side. It is the proverbial leaky bucket issue; fix the leak, and filling the bucket will be much easier”.

In ‘The Importance of Employee Retention’ Jacob Shriar suggests that organizations should conduct “Stay Interviews”, and this only makes sense. Clubs should do this, find out what would make their members leave, what would make their members stay.

Now all this is not to say that recruitment problems do not need to be addressed urgently, because they do. It is just that if your retention rate is strong, your Rotary Club can remain relevant for some period of time while the issue of recruitment is addressed. When this happens, Rotary Clubs have a good chance of surviving long term because those members would stay.

How do you retain your present Club members? Regularly recognizing members for their achievements and keeping members involved in club projects and activities, are just a few of the many strategies that Rotary suggests Clubs should employ to engage current members. Remember it’s all about fixing the proverbial leaking bucket!

Share your thoughts with us. Which do you think is more important? What can Rotary Clubs do to retain their current members, and at the same time attract new members? What has your Club been doing to address the issue of retention and attraction?

What’s Your Story?

Throughout the Month of August, some members of the Rotary Club of Portmore shared with others their reason for joining the Organization that puts Service Above Self. They also gave their reasons for remaining active members. Are you a Rotarian? Share with us your reason for joining Rotary. We would also be happy to hear your reason for staying.

: President 2015-2016

: Director of Admin 2015-2016

: RCP Member

: Membership Director

: Secretary 2015-2016

: RCP Member

: Sergeant at Arms 2015-2016

Era of Quality versus Quantity . . . . Does one trump the other?

The idea of transitioning from Rotaract to Rotary is an exciting coup for those going through the process.

But for those already cemented in the Rotary club and are left with the task of recruiting new members the stationary elephant in the room is a reminder of the consequential decision of focusing on Quality over Quantity this time around.

For the heads of government the idea of choosing one over the other, with the intention of what is good and relevant to achieve the objectives of the club, can become the GREAT DEBATE!!!

There are those of us who will choose Quality over Quantity and vice versa while others will chose both.

Most would argue that it is better to focus on QUANTITY as it is important to have as many hands on deck as possible. They may extend this argument to add that more hands on deck equals more work getting done, and more contributions being made.

While this may ring some truth, if the focus is solely getting a full house, the aspect of quality is at often times ignored. We cannot take it for granted that “if we take care of the QUANTITY, the QUALITY will take care of itself”.

American animator and film director, John Lasseter says “Quality is the best business plan” and many of us would agree as there are those who believe that QUALITY should take precedence when new members are being recruited.

When it comes to QUALITY, less is more. Favouring QUALITY over QUANTITY will increase your reputation and attract like minded individuals who are for the cause and not the applause. QUALITY members, who get the work done, will keep your Club sustainable in the long run.

But the decision of whether Rotary Clubs should choose between QUALITY or QUANTITY becomes easier, when the focus of membership is also geared towards “Bridging the Gap”. Rotaract Clubs have both QUALITY and QUANTITY, and Rotary Clubs should tap into this “resource pool” to grow its membership.

As we observe August as Membership and New Club Development Month, let us remember that “The future of Rotary depends on our ability to make Rotary meaningful, relevant, and attractive to the next generation of Rotarians” – District 6000

Imagine the magical and miraculous things a club can achieve if we were able to find the balance between quality and quantity.

Mind boggling???? Not so much; but worth thinking about.

President’s August Message

There is a saying “Out with the old and in with the new”. Well its not like that for Rotary when it comes to its members. As Rotary International, and by extension all Rotary Clubs, celebrate August as Membership and New Club Development Month, the aim of the Rotary Club of Portmore is not only to attract new members, but also to keep the ones we currently have.

This rotary year, one of our main focuses is centered on strengthening our membership and there are so many different ways of achieving this goal. Let’s share some of them with you. Maybe this will help you to also build a stronger Club.

Instituting a ‘pal/buddy’ system so that members keep in touch outside of meetings.

Keeping members engaged on meeting nights by assigning tasks that will allow them to be actively involved in the night’s programme.

Creating vibrancy by engaging members and followers on social media as a way of attracting young professionals who are naturally filled with vigor and vitality.

Planning meaningful projects so members will come out and support in their numbers. By doing so members will be encouraged to spread the news and take along a friend or family member and expose them to the work that we do.

Create a value-added system that could enhance the Rotary experience for members. This could include a rewards system such as weekly and monthly prizes for members who answer Rotary related questions at the meetings. This exercise will encourage members to read the history of Rotary and learn as they go along.

Having a celebration for all milestones in the life of members

Encouraging members to keep up the good work by having regular fellowships.

The Rotary Club of Portmore, as part of its overall goals for the 2015-2016 Rotary year, is expecting to increase its membership by at least 3 members.

We are certain we can do it, and we will, as long as we create and sustain that vibrancy and inclusiveness that is necessary to retain current membership. Let us never forget that current members are usually the ones who bring in prospective members. So as we aim to attract new members, let us also aim to retain the ones we have.

Yours in Rotary,

Olive Wallace-Cohen

President 2015-2016