Rotary Club of Demerara inducts nine new Rotarians

The Rotary Club of Demerara earlier this month held a small and simple ceremony to induct nine new Rotarians to the Club.

In a short ceremony that adhered to all COVID-19 protocols, the Club welcomed Dominique DeGroot, Quenita Walrond-Lewis, Fabian Stuart, Stefon Paul, Saffiya Gafoor, Oneige Walrond-Allicock, Cristel Cheong, Aruna Lall-Chan and Elizabeth Gopie.

This diverse group of professionals range from children and nieces of Rotarians, who have grown up in service and now want to continue that legacy, to those who have served in other organisations and want to continue to make a difference on a larger scale.

“At the ceremony, the Club also made provision for those who wished to attend via Zoom, and we thank those who called in from overseas to witness the event, specifically, District 7030 Governor, Mr. Lisle Chase,” the Club said in a press statement.

The Rotary International Theme for 2020-2021 is “Rotary Opens Opportunities.”

“The Rotary Club of Demerara is seeking to align with that theme and support the thrust in capitalising and creating opportunities during this pandemic. COVID-19 has presented several constraints that, like many others, has had a direct impact on the extent of our signature projects, such as regular medical outreaches to outlying regions of Guyana,” the Club added.

“The Club has nevertheless pivoted its work towards achievable actions and serving the community within our seven Areas of Focus during this time. Of note, the RCD has identified Literacy as a key Area of Focus for the Club for this year, which is expected to be achieved through formalisation of key partnerships to ensure consistency and effectiveness of projects.”

For the year 2019-2020, the Club earned the highest Rotary citation from Rotary International – a Platinum Citation for exceptional performance as a club during the last Rotary year.

“The Rotary Club of Demerara has no doubt that these new Rotarians will help us to continue the standard set by the Club in its 26 years of existence,” the statement concluded.