“Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and the life to come” – 1 Timothy 4:8

The Rotary Clubs of Barbados South and West have jointly embarked on the planning of an Inclusive Play Facility, a building and play ground at the Sir Garfield Sobers Complex.  The objective is to allow differently abled children to enjoy similar recreational experiences as children without disabilities.

Consider a wheelchair accessible swing designed for public and closed settings. The piece of equipment can be pushed or controlled by the user with a suspended pulley system.  The differently abled child now enjoys the swinging experience just like their able bodied counterpart; what is more they both may play together in the same facility – hence “inclusive play”.  The benefits are twofold: not only is the differently abled child enabled, but the children are also allowed to appreciate and learn from each other through the interactive setting which has been created.  It is an environment which trains for godliness from which emerges enhanced benefits in this life and the life to come.

An attractive fundraising event towards the establishment of this Inclusive Play facility will be mounted by The Rotary Club of Barbados South on Saturday November 05, 2011 at 7:00 pm at the Barbados Museum.  We invite you each to contribute BBS$ 100.00 towards the cause and join the excitement at this Fundraising Extravaganza.

The evening will unfold in the following sequence: (1) complimentary cocktails as you arrive and are entertained by Strolling Minstrels and Green Monkeys; (2) a 90 minute documentary film “Calypso Dreams” narrated by David Rudder and the Mighty Chalkdust which presents the history of calypso from the 1940s until the first decade of the new millennium ; (3)  an “After Party” with live entertainment, complimentary drinks and finger food; and (4) the evening culminates with a silent auction of a number of donated prizes valued from BB$6,000 (a week end for two at the five star Jade-Mountain Resort in Soufriere, St. Lucia ) to prizes worth hundreds of dollars.  Other donated hotel prizes include: two nights stay at Fond Doux Holiday Plantation, Saint Lucia; Courtleigh Hotel and Suites, Jamaica; Trinidad Hilton; and Marriott, St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands. Other donated prizes include a Champagne Pack; a French Rhum Pack; and Goldie Speiler pottery.

The film “Calypso Dreams”, by Geoffrey Dunn, Michael Horn and Executive Producer Eddy Grant and with narrative commentary by the popular Caribbean musician David Rudder, captures riveting, contemporary performances by a host of legendary Calypso performers including the Mighty Sparrow, Calypso Rose, Lord Superior, Black Stalin, Mighty Bomber, Lord Blakie, Singing Sandra and Mighty Terror, and pays homage to recently deceased Calypsonians, including Lord Kitchener and Lord Pretender. Also included is a rare and exclusive interview with Harry Belafonte on the issue of his early involvement with Calypso and his complex relationship with Lord Melody in the early 1950’s and 60’s. The film is a celebration not only of the music of Calypso, but of the intense sense of community it engenders in Trinidad and Tobago and the Caribbean and of the art form’s dynamic social and political roots, which sustain it.

We would be delighted to see you there.  To reserve tickets please email basilgf@caribsurf.com and they shall be delivered to you.

Rotarians get an opportunity to serve in many facets of life. The motto of Rotary is “Service above Self”. The opportunities in five avenues of service are many. There is Community service and the Inclusive Play project is an example of this.

Then there is International service where we host individuals sponsored by Rotary Clubs outside our Rotary District which spans from St. Kitts in the North to French Guyana in the South. International Service may also involve Rotarians helping in projects outside of our country.

In Vocational Service, one exhibits service above self in activities related to our vocation.  Rotarian James Corbin, President of the Information Society of Barbados, exhibited Vocational Service above Self by leading the team of volunteers which organised the recently and successfully concluded conference “Event Caribbean 2011” which promoted ICT Awareness and Development.

Past President John Jones was also in the news last week when “endless” accolades were showered on him by his colleagues in the insurance industry (his vocation), his family, his family friends and other associates with whom he had been in contact for many a decade, at a Cocktail Reception held in his honour to mark his official retirement from Guardian General Insurance Limited.  He touched many of these persons indelibly and was heralded as an exemplar to his associates in Barbados and beyond. It was a very emotional but controlled celebration sealed with a few classical familiar live renditions by the Might Gabby before the vote of thanks.

Then there is a relatively new avenue of service New Generations with the commitment to get youth and young adults actively involved in the principles of Rotary through the Interact Clubs (for seniors at Secondary School) and then the Rotaract Clubs (for young people from school who are in their first decade of establishing themselves in a career). The fifth Avenue of Service is Club Service which in fact is the Committee that manages the club, it plans, organises, mobilises human resources, monitors and controls the activities of to club. The fund raising activities lie under this portfolio – we depend on support of the public to succeed.