This week we will be meeting via Zoom. PP Simone Collins will walk through the resources currently available on the club website to assist members with running the club and undertaking projects, including new Project / Task manager software that committees and individuals can use to keep track of work and documentation.

With an in house web developer, our club website can be customised in whatever way would be beneficial to members. This week's meeting will provide an opportunity for a discussion about what might be useful to help spread the load of admin and committee work.

We took the opportunity to invite DG Ineke to be our speaker as well, and she presented on De Bono's "Six Thinking Hats". This is a concept where you separate your thinking into six clear functions and roles. Each thinking role is identified with a coloured symbolic “thinking hat.” By mentally wearing and switching “hats,” you can easily focus or redirect thoughts, the conversation, or the meeting.

Our Singaporean member Sheila Cheng regularly volunteers at the Anglican Care Centre (ACC) Simei. It was there that she met Programme Assistant & Peer Support Specialist Tan Kok Liang, as he has attended several of her volunteering sessions in baking and art & craft activities over the years.

Kok Liang was invited to speak at the Christian Mental Health Conference (CMHC) on 7th July 2023, to share his story on his recovery from mental illness. During her volunteering session in late July, Sheila encouraged the members to pen some words for Kok Liang, and they expressed their congratulations to him in writing and thanked him for being such a caring Peer Support Specialist.

RYLA is an intensive eight-day program designed for 18-28 year olds with leadership potential and a commitment to community service. The program is a unique opportunity aimed to bring participants out of their comfort zone and challenge them to think outside the square while actively using and building on their existing skills and knowledge.

RYLA includes seminars, workshops, physical activities and team games relating to areas including Communication and Public Speaking, Leadership, Team Work and Group Dynamics, Problem Solving and Decision Making, Goal Setting, Time Management and Self Awareness and Emotional Intelligence.

The next RYLA will be held at the Serpentine Camping Centre from Saturday 6th January – Saturday 13th January 2024.

Applicants are interviewed prior to acceptance onto RYLA.  Successful applicants will have the energy, commitment and motivation to develop their leadership potential and be willing to challenge themselves physically and mentally over the course of the program.  Applicants who have come via a Rotary Club receive priority acceptance into the program.

Rotary Club Sponsorship for a RYLA participant is $920, and the participant contribution is $250.  This includes all activities, accommodation and meals for the week.

So far in 2023/24, we've raised $257.00 from recycling containers.

As one of our main sources of income for our projects, your assistance in sourcing, collecting, and/or returning containers is greatly appreciated. 

Project Coordinator PP Simone Collins is happy to provide any information or support, either with providing bags or assisting with working with the Scouts if you know a workplace that is willing to help, or helping with a roster to collect from the Tee Box Cafe, which provides our main source of income.

Simone has applied for a new Fundraising Toolkit, which will provide us with a 240L bin and a huge supply of bags, among other things.

Ghim Bok ("GB") Chew from the Rotary Club of Bugis Junction in Singapore is the Rotary International Director with special responsibility for Zone 8 during 2023-2025.

Ghim Bok joined Rotary in 1996. Immediately after serving as district governor in 2013, he took on several zone and international roles. In addition to serving as RI Director, he is also the Host Organization Committee chair for the Rotary International Convention in Singapore in 2024.

GB has had a diverse and successful career as a serial entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and private equities fund manager. After opening his first business, an IT systems integrator, he took a bankrupt food processing company to an initial public offering after turning it around.

Now semiretired, Chew maintains real estate and real estate management companies in Singapore, in addition to his fund management holding company. Outside Rotary, Chew is active as a local volunteer and has received the Public Service Medal and Public Service Start Medal by Singapore’s President in recognition of his contribution. He also serves as a justice of the peace who volunteers in local prisons, is chair of two religious organizations, trustee of three national trust organizations, and honorary consul for the Republic of Slovakia in Singapore.

Chew is a recipient of the Service Above Self Award. With his wife, Phyllis, he is a member of the Arch Klumph Society Chair’s Circle.

As a membership organization, we recognize that our members are our biggest asset. When Rotary membership is strong, our clubs are thriving, we are more visible, and our members have more resources to help their communities.

That is why growing our membership is one of our top priorities. How do we grow membership? Luckily, we don’t have to approach this question in a vacuum. A number of Rotary International surveys have confirmed that the single most important factor in member satisfaction is the club experience.  

Sometimes, the little things we do count the most. Standing at the front door and greeting participants (members and guests alike) with a smile and kind words will make them feel special and like they belong. Showing appreciation and saying  “thank you” can turn potential members into members and volunteers into committed Rotary members. Recognition, either for monetary contributions or “sweat equity,” can have the same impact.