I feel inspired by the labor that other clubs are doing around the world. For example, the Central Cayman Islands club is doing a great job by encouraging their youth with music programs, science fairs, reading and literacy programs, and free libraries. They are fixing trails and up keeping bus shelters. Fellow Rotarians around the world are the spark that ignites their communities into action.  

I am excited and encouraged by the response and enthusiasm I had received from our members as we prepare our service projects for the year 2020-2021. There are many areas of interest, including our areas of focus. For example, we could support our local schools by providing materials and food for the students to take home, dictionaries, books, and coats for kids. We could assist parents, with technology issues, to learn basic new skills to support their children with the school’s work.

We could encourage and engage high school students in choosing and applying for grants in careers that are in high demand, such as computer coding. For example, we could partner with Google, which recently announced giving 100,000 scholarships for online certificates in data analytics, project management, and UX. 

Google said that they would consider anyone who finishes these courses as equivalent to having a bachelor’s degree, and a candidate for hiring immediately to work remotely.

 We could provide assistance and relief for first responders working daily at combating the current COVID-19 pandemic. We could support the mission of local organizations as the Gray House by donating groceries and funds to assist them in feeding their clients.

We are people of action, and I know that this year, although a particularly challenging one, we will impact our community.