BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – THE Rotary Club of Liamigua (RCL) has moved into 2010 with what President Laverne Caines described as a “packed agenda” meant to keep the Rotary spirit alive in St. Kitts.
Among the myriad activities planned are a Family Sports Fun Day, the Make-a-Wish programme for Valentine’s Day and the RCL’s annual Rotary Talent Search and Spelling Bee Competitions.
Caines ascended to the presidency in June 2009 and has six months remaining in her term. In an exclusive interview with SKNVibes, she gave insight into her club’s recent activities and what the general public should expect from them in the New Year.
“The Rotary International theme for the 2009/2010 is “The future of Rotary is in your hands”. Because of that, we’ve been concentrating on our usual community service projects,” she revealed. “We spent National Heroes Day with the residents at the Saddlers Home for the Elderly, and we donated 50 food hampers at Christmas for families around the island.”
One of the RCL’s major upcoming projects is a sidewalk proposal for downtown Basseterre, which would result in greater access for persons with wheelchairs and/or physical disabilities. Caines informed that the club had already undertaken a preliminary assessment and would be initiating the project shortly.
“We realised that wheelchair access was still very much a challenge - not just in sidewalks but to enter and exit businesses. We had a contractor do an assessment, so very shortly we’ll embark upon that project, hopefully with the input of corporate Basseterre. We’re going to be asking each business for a minimum of EC$2 000 contribution to the project.”
Caines said the RCL had made a commitment to several community institutions including the Save Our Sons Boy Home, Ade’s Place and Project Strong. In order to honour those obligations, the group has planned a number of fundraisers over the next few months, most notable of which is a professional development training seminar for business professionals.
However, despite the upcoming general election, the club will not facilitate any related event, as according to Caines, Rotary is “very clear” about being non-political.
She pointed to the recent Old Year’s Ball as the high point of her presidency thus far, and expressed overall pleasure with her tenure to date.
“I am fairly satisfied it has gone well. We’ve continued to make a mark, we’ve continued to sensitise the public as to the existence of our club. There’s been small progress and, even though it’s small, progress is progress,” Caines stressed.
