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ROTARY CLUB OF PLACENCIA NEWS
The past month has, once again, been a busy one for the Rotary Club of Placencia with one event and planning for upcoming events. There was one disappointment with the cancellation of the cricket match planned for Pan American Day due to the expected visiting team being unable to make it for the match, however, we hope to reschedule and bring cricket to Placencia once again.
SEINE BIGHT SCHOOL
As reported last month, the interior of the Seine Bight School was painted thanks to the labor provided by the Rotary Club of Placencia and the generosity of the Rotary Club of Saskatoon Nutana in Canada. During the painting, it was noted that the first floor bathroom in the school was in need of attention, so, with the help of Steve Christensen in providing an estimate for the work required, and the stated willingness of the Rotary Club of Saskatoon Nutana to continue to help, funds were obtained for the work. We wish to, once again, thank the Rotary Club of Saskatoon Nutana for their generosity in helping to fund an important project that improves our schools. It’s the commitment of Rotary Clubs such as that, from outside our area, that will help us to continue to make improvements to the schools, expand our Peninsula Volunteer Fire Department, and complete other projects that will benefit our community.
FLAG RAISING CEREMONY
As has been the case for the last few years, the Rotary Club of Placencia sponsored the annual Flag Raising Ceremony on Sunday September 20th. Working around the crowd from the football match, the evening started for Rotarians by setting up the tent for our bar and bake sale, making sure activities were coordinated with DJ Bebe for the evening’s entertainment, and helping Truckee Graphite set up for their show. Promptly at 7:00 PM, Jim and Anna Mensies began a memorable 2 hour show that included their Christian versions of old rock and roll songs, a group of local dancers they have been working with, local guitarists that are obviously benefiting from Jim’s tutelage, hula hoop contests, bubble gum blowing contests, puppet shows, and conscripted performances (some unfortunate) by several Rotarians. As always, Jim and Anna put on a show that was enjoyed by young and old and we thank them for participating and sharing their message with us. Following the Truckee Graphite performance, the evening continued with music by DJ Bebe and impromptu song and dance performances by Independence High School students Jasmine Garcia (Miss Placencia Queen of the Bay 2009), Shiranee Swift, Marley Wade, Shanice Echeverria, and Emily Terrufino that started with shyness but became inspired as the favorable crowd response spurred them on. At 11:00 PM, with the rain that had plagued much of the evening continuing to fall, Mistress of Ceremonies Maretha McCullock opened the formal ceremonies by welcoming everyone and reminding them of this year’s theme “Diverse Origins, Common Aspirations, Together We Celebrate as Belizeans”. Following an invocation by Rotarian Lydia Villanueva, Rotary Club of Placencia President Harald Wallen gave a welcome address and recognized local residents Mr. Jack Young, Miss Lucille Villanueva, Miss Mortis Villanueva (Miss Cunchie), Miss Wilma Leslie and Mr. Anthony Eiley for their long time contributions to the community. The evening then continued with an inspiring address by Senator Pulcheria Teul which was followed by the Pledge to Belize by the Independence High School students previously mentioned and a very wet raising of the flag by members of the Placencia Police Department as the National Anthem was sung. The evening ended with a benediction by Miss Placencia Queen of the Bay 2009 Jasmine Garcia and a thank you by Maretha McCullock as the remaining crowd made an exit. As always, the Rotary Club of Placencia, in addition to selling refreshments and baked goods, held a raffle for the cake prepared by Merlene, who actually won her cake back in the raffle. We are proud to sponsor this important community event and have seen it grow over the last few years to the entire evening’s entertainment that was provided this year. The Rotary Club of Placencia wishes to thank all who participated, with some special thanks to the Police Officers that raised our flag in the pouring rain while the rest of us watched under the protection of the tents. We hope to continue to make this event bigger and better each year as we celebrate the independence of Belize.
FIRESIDE
As has been described in previous articles, membership in the Rotary Club of Placencia is not all about work. As Rotarians, we take pride in the work we do and enjoy the fellowship we experience working together, but, periodically we all get together for strictly social gatherings known as Firesides. The most recent Fireside was held at Los Porticos and featured an evening of good conversation, bad charades, a test run of Bingo, and an outstanding pot luck dinner featuring a delicious turkey prepared by Sandra Steele. We wish to thank Sandra Steele for her hospitality and Friend of Rotary Stephanie Warnke for her efficient Bingo calling, We all look forward to these Firesides and hope that more members of the community will join our club and participate so that we can prove that “the more the merrier” is true.
UPCOMING EVENTS
The next event for the Rotary Club of Placencia is our annual Haunted House, which will be held in the Community Center on Halloween night. This is an event that has proven to be as much fun for those participating in it as those who attend and a dedicated group of some somewhat twisted people have been hard at work to come up with new ideas and scenes designed to scare young and old alike. The largest ongoing event that work continues on at this time is the scheduled visit of a group of doctors, dentists and other medical professionals in mid-November. We are hoping that both of these events will be successful and will report on them in next month’s Breeze. Other planned events will be described as information becomes available and, as always, we will make every effort to provide the most current information on LOVEFM, the cable television public access channel (currently channel 45), and flyers around the Village. Also, anyone having questions about any Rotary function or event should feel free to ask any Rotarian.
OUR CLUB
No mention of our Club would be complete without acknowledging major events in our member’s lives. As many are aware, Sonny Vernon has had to undergo major surgery recently and is on the road to recovery. Sonny, and his wife Nettie, have given back to the community in many ways over the years and we wish him a speedy and full recovery. People like Sonny and Nettie don’t come along as often as we all would like, so, it’s important that we acknowledge their value in our lives and that the world is a better place because they are in it. We look forward to Sonny’s return to full good health and continuing to work side by side with him for the benefit of the community.
The Rotary Club of Placencia is dedicated to working to make our community a better place by applying the 4 Way Test (found elsewhere in this publication) to our Club’s works and our daily lives. Operating under the motto “Service Above Self”, we work together to accomplish those things that help us all. We are proud of what we have accomplished in our community and we encourage anyone who cares about their community and making a positive difference to consider joining us so that even more may be accomplished. Information about Rotary may be obtained by visiting our web site www.rotaryclubofplacencia.org, attending one of our meetings (Tuesdays at 12:30 PM at Yoli’s), or simply by speaking to any Rotarian.
