Nine
THE ROTARY STORY
CONTINUES (1992/3-1998)
(cont'd - 9)
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In another special project designed at district level to hone leadership skills of outstanding youths in general through a course that includes talks given by prominent political, social or sports personalities in addition to participation in physical training and camping bouts, namely the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA), PJ Club enthuses over its nominees for the programme. It must be mentioned that RYLA, an annual Rotary District project of some distinction, has RCPJ as one of its key supporters to sponsor Interactors to participate in it every year. In the last RYLA programme held in December 1997, the Rotary Club of Tanjong Bungah was the host club for the event.
As a service-based organisation like its parent Rotary Club, the Interact Club is very active in implementing projects at the community and school level. In the former, whether it is lending a hand at gotong-royong projects at the Selangor Spastics Centre or at the Malaysian Association of the Blind in its Family Day celebrations or other kinds of voluntary service at the Shelter Home or at the St. Paul's Day Care Centre, Interactors never fail to cheer up the sick or the underprivileged. This 'caring' attitude is even extended to animals with periodic visits by Interact groups to "PAWS" (Protection of Animals Welfare Society). Voluntary service in their own schools normally take the form of assistance in beautification projects by Interactors such as the setting up of garden plots, planting of trees and the painting of car park curbs or murals on school walls. Early in 1998 under PJ Club's direction, a programme for urban and rural Interactors aimed at fostering better understanding between the two diverse groups and familiarising them with each other's lifestyle was launched whereby both groups exchanged home visits hosted by their respective godparents in PJ and its outskirts.
Unlike the energetic Interact Club, the PJ Rotaract Club did not always have such a vibrant and continuous lease of life like its more junior 'sister'. As a matter of fact, the Rotaract Club was defunct for a few years in the early 1990's due to depleted numbers. By launching "Project Phoenix", the Youth Service Committee of 1994/5 under its Director, Bernard Yong, was determined to resuscitate the Rotaract Club. For a start, it was able to rally twenty one new members together for meetings at the President's Room of the Petaling Jaya Club. Guided by the motto, "Fun, Friendship and Fame", Rotaract President Kamalesan and his Board succeeded not only to steer the Rotaract Club on course to make it one of the best attended clubs in the district, but they also managed (with PJ Club's assistance, of course) to groom one of their members, Richard Chan to win the zonal "Speakerton Contest" and become the district's representative for the same contest at the Rotaract District Conference in Singapore in May 1995.
In order to inject more verve into their newly-reconstituted club and as a means to boost their membership numbers, Rotaractors decided to carry out a global project which required all Malaysian Rotaractors and their international counterparts to write to the Secretary General of the United Nations to press for an amicable end to the Bosnian Crisis. The response to their project was overwhelming when countless letters, all written with that specific purpose in mind, started pouring into the office of the UN Secretariat. For its admirable effort, the PJ Rotaract Club succeeded in winning the award for the Best International Service Project for Rotaract Clubs in the district in 1995. It is interesting to note that interaction and liaison with foreign Rotaract Clubs have not ceased with the above programme because since then, Rotaractors have embarked on an international correspondence project with more than forty other clubs with the distinct aim of exchanging information with other Rotaractors in order to learn more about each other's culture and traditions.
With its feet firmly planted on the ground once more, the Rotaract Club of PJ continues to throb with activity. At district level, Rotaractors participated in the Rotaract Assembly and Conference held in April and May 1996 respectively and also cooperated with other Rotaract Clubs on joint projects. Internal club activity included the publication of the Rotaract News Bulletin and involvement with numerous community programmes such as assisting MPPJ workers to clean up the embankment of Sungei Penchala, raising funds through a charity 'car wash' and whitewashing the fences and gates of the Ampang Old Folks' Home in a joint project with other Rotaract clubs. Rotaractors have also made it a point to visit underprivileged children at festive time and taken them out to places of interest such as the Selangor Pewter Factory. From the way things have been going, it is clear that a fresh beginning has energised the PJ Rotaract Club to the extent that its Rotaractors are raring to go and serve!
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