& More 2015
A
Tactical team work see Barbados
victorious in the 2014 Scotiabank
Rotary West Challenge
By Corey Greaves, Photos by Lisa Davis and Yvette Reid
s the lyrics to the old Beetles song goes “I get by with a little help from my friends, gonna try with a little help from my friends”.... These John
Lennon & Paul McCartney lyrics could really have been written with the Rotary organisation in mind. The Rotary International website says
“we are neighbours, community leaders and global citizens uniting for the common good. Our impact starts with our members - people who
work tirelessly with their clubs to solve some of our communities’ toughest challenges”.
In early 1975, a committee comprising a few members of the Rotary Club of Barbados met with the purpose of establishing a second Rotary Club on the
island. After many meetings a charter was issued by Rotary International to the Rotary Club of Barbados West. As the club found their fledgling feet and
learned to walk amongst the minefield of community issues, they initially rendered assistance mainly to the Thelma Vaughn home for physically handicapped children and to the Challenor Home for mentally retarded children. However as the organisation became more savvy and their member numbers
and funding increased, it was not long before the club’s community outreach programs started to include the giving of toys to needy children at Christmas
time “Toy Cheer” and the furnishing of assistance to many community projects including providing amenities to children’s homes, sports equipment to
the youth and household furniture and stoves to the underprivileged. Eventually the club would take on projects such as building children’s play park 2