Nine
THE ROTARY STORY
CONTINUES (1992/3-1998)
(cont'd - 11)
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The Challenge of Fund - Raising
To the Treasurer of any Rotary Club, it would seem that money, more than love,
makes the world go round. This is because it is imperative for every club
to be self-sustaining in the sense that it has to rely on its own funds to
maintain the club and service its numerous projects and programmes. Normally,
such funds would be contributed by its own members through the club's weekly
'Sunshine' and 'Raffle' collections. However, on occasions when the club's
budget is depleted, it has to find other means to replenish funds. It is therefore
not surprising for clubs then to organise 'mega' concerts or shows featuring
international star performers to generate funds on a large scale. Unfortunately,
no one can predict the outcome of such shows: they can end up as financial
flops or 'box office' successes depending largely on 'star' appeal and crowd
response.
Thus when P.P. Alfred Tsang became the Chairman of the Fund-Raising Committee in 1995, he realised the daunting task ahead of him when he decided to invite the vivacious Hong Kong actress-cum-singer, Maria Cordero, to perform at PJ Club's charity concert. It was evident that the financial setback encountered by the Club as a result of poor ticket collections from the concert featuring the pop artiste, Van McCoy, held more than a decade ago, was still fresh in the minds of some senior Rotarians. The latter argued that any move to bring in Maria for the charity show was financially doomed from the start as she was well-known only among the Cantonese-speaking community of Petaling Jaya and Kuala Lumpur. Despite discouraging and adverse comments from his critics, Alfred still went ahead with his plans which took him two years to realise. By the time the 'gala show' arrived on 20th October 1997, he had succeeded in obtaining corporate sponsorship from Rothmans Pall Mall and the Crocodile International Company in addition to a full booking of 113 tables in the grand ballroom of the Sunway Lagoon Resort Hotel, the venue of the show. The audience comprising VIPs, Rotarians, Anns and guests who came to hear Maria sing, was not disappointed. The evergreen crooner enthralled the crowd with 'oldie' favourites and juicy jokes. To prove his critics wrong, Alfred and his committee managed to rake in a total collection of RM281,000.00 from the charity show, an amount far exceeding the expectations of the Club. Even after deducting expenses, a proud Alfred could still deliver a handsome sum of RM150,000.00 to the Club's coffers.
The Way Forward
Within the time frame from the mid to the late 1990's it can be observed that
1997 emerges as a momentous year for PJ Club since four of its veterans have
been singled out as members of high-ranking committees and task forces of
the Rotary movement at the district and international level. Aside from the
prestigious appointment of Dato James Peter Chin, whose fame is second to
none in district Rotary circles, as an RI Director for a two-year term from 1997 to 1999, the others
who have been highly honoured are I.P.D.G. David Ho, who was elected the Coordinator
for the Membership Development Task Force and Adviser to Advocates for the
Advocacy of Humanitarian Causes Task Force for Zone 6, P.D.G. Dr. Ganesan, who
has become a Member of the Interact Committee, District 3300 and Representative
for the Council on Legislation 1988, P.P. Michael Teh, who has been appointed
a Member of the Rotary Foundation Alumni and remains a Member of the Resource
Group of Asian Zone 6 for a 4th consecutive year and P.P. Dr. Tarcisius Chin,
who has been appointed a Member of the RI Nominating Committee for the World
Understanding Award 1998/9.
The recognition of PJ Rotarians by such an illustrious body like Rotary International speaks volumes about the contribution of these members listed above to the cause of the Rotary movement. In the course of this chapter, it can be seen that some names have inadvertently been left out. This does not mean that such Rotarians are contributing less; rather, they might be enacting roles that seemingly make the parts they play less important. However, the audience knows that props can be just as effective as costumes in a play, for only with the combination of all parts can a play be wielded into a comprehensive whole. In fact, every Rotarian who willingly offers his services to the Rotary organisation is an unsung hero in his own way because he voluntarily gives of himself in order that benefits can be derived by others, especially the less privileged and the down-trodden. Already towards the end of his office as President, the affable Rosman Din has amply demonstrated that even without the presence of a spouse at his side, he is capable of steering his committee to plan and implement projects that can stand on their own and, in the process, bring prestige and honour to the Club. So, despite recessionary times and their attendant problems, Malaysians, exemplified by President Rosman and his peers in PJ Club, can definitely weather any 'storm' and with one unified voice proclaim, "Malaysia Boleh!" particularly in the wake of the forthcoming XVI Commonwealth Games due to be held in the country in September 1998.
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