It is truly humbling and an honour to be blessed with the opportunity to serve as President of the prestigious Rotary Club of Port of Spain as it enters its 62nd year since being chartered.
Firstly let me sincerely congratulate Immediate Past President Hadyn Gittens on a most successful and impactful Rotary year. He illustrated what it truly means to be a Rotary Club President, and I will strive to continue and to strengthen the successes achieved in the 2018/2019 Rotary year.
"Rotary Connects the World” is the 2019/2020 Rotary theme established by Mark Daniel Maloney – the new Rotary International President. It is a fantastic theme which embodies what Rotary is all about and a theme the Rotary Club of Port of Spain will fully embrace this Rotary Year.
Our immediate "World” is our Club – the Rotary Club of Port of Spain – and will be our first focus. This will be achieved by strengthening our existing relationships, through fellowship activities, alternative meeting experiences, as well as, projects and initiatives to enhance our beloved country of Trinidad & Tobago. Furthermore, we will "Connect" by attracting and engaging with others through increasing our membership. We will invite others and encourage them to join in the amazing and rewarding network of 35,000+ Rotary Clubs and 1.2 million Rotarians that are making the world a better place.
The next "World" to which we will "Connect" will be our Community. As Rotarians, we believe in a shared responsibility and commitment to take action on Trinidad & Tobago's most persistent issues. In addition to fellowship, one of the main reasons I decided to join Rotary was because of its primary tenet of Service Above Self. We will strengthen our commitment to the differently-abled, youth, senior citizens and good governance in our community. By embracing one of Rotary International's global objectives of Promoting Peace, our club will focus on assisting at-risk and marginalized youth who are otherwise being enticed and sometimes recruited into nefarious activities.
We will also enhance our connection with the other Rotary Clubs of District 7030, especially within Trinidad & Tobago through joint meetings, social gatherings and collaboration on projects for the greater good of Trinidad & Tobago and thus continue to best serve by promoting integrity, goodwill and having a positive impact on our community.
Yours In Rotary,
Rajiv Shandilya