PRESIDENT'S TIMEBy Pastor Mar Reyes
HEAD START
In any endeavor, preparing in advance is the key to success. Not preparing ahead is preparing for disaster. Those practicing this habit have the edge – they enjoy the benefit of a HEAD START. They are first to progress – they make a headway.
We have labored to push our club to have a head start. In early January of this year, the broad strokes of our plan of action have been drawn. By April, we had a final draft of a plan of action. And our blessings also came in early. We have the luxury of responding immediately to opportunities that come our way. PP Arnold Guerrero’s high school classmates in the Worldwide Filipino Alliance and their health program benefactor, the International Medical Outreach Foundation, Inc. asked me to send our club’s program of action sometime May of this year. I responded instantly with our detailed plan. IMO favorably acted and soon sent us the first 54,000 doses of mebendazole, a deworming medicine. The rest of the medicines of over 200,000 doses will be shipped to us shortly. When we receive all these medicines, we can program a district-wide deworming project.
As a result, we signed a Sisterhood Agreement with the Rotary Club of Tuguegarao-Citadel, the first recipient of 5,000 chewable tablets (500mg each) of mebendazole. Citadel, which got in touch with IMO, and was told to coordinate with RCSFDM, the focal entity to distribute the medicines.
Prior to Citadel, we signed the first Sisterhood Agreement of our term with the Rotary Club of Makati-Legaspi, during its 20th Charter Anniversary on June 26, 2009. On July 25, during our 2-day MSU Mission in Pozzorubio, we shall also sign our third Sisterhood Agreement with the RC of Urdaneta East.
Last July 5, 2009, a day after our District Induction, we went to Pozzorubio (with IPP Allan, thanks!) to sign a Memorandum of Agreement with the Municipality of Pozzorubio, represented by its Municipal Mayor Emma T. Chan, the St. Joseph Thaddeus Pastoral Council, the Pozzorubio High Class of 1978 and 1980, represented by the Parish Priest, Rev. Father Pol Calicdan. The MOA is for the holding of an “expanded” MSU mission in Pozzorubio, to include medical, dental, deworming and free legal clinic. If the reception by the Mayor, the former mayor, the Jaycees, the Parish Priest the RC of Urdaneta president, Tony Fernandez were any indication, our Director Nonoy Desamito and spouse Cyndee (soon to join the IWC!) are preparing very well. All because we planned for this way ahead – head start!
The benefit of having a head start is that we can handle with less stress-multi tasking. Next stop is the Governor’s Visit and Club Induction on July 16, 2009. I beg my fellow clubmen to stay with me. Presence, presence and presence! With you, no obstacle or problem is too heavy to slow us down. I however need all of you – otherwise, all these activities are no rotary service at all.
I am happy and fired up with the enthusiasm shown by my officers and clubmen. IPP Allan, our MSU Administrator is even more enthusiastic and vibrant than when he started as our club President. There is a word for us to always remember – TEAM.
TOGETHER EVERYONE ACHIEVES MORE! We have to keep TEAM SPIRIT in us. My dear fellow Rotarians, lets step up. Let’s keep the pace we have started. We have the HEAD START!
