THE Rotary Club of West Cagayan de Oro will celebrate its 40th Anniversary today, February 22, 2010 at Casa Real of VIP Hotel, Cagayan de Oro City.
Chartered on February 16, 1970, with club no. 17093, the charter was presented to the Club barely two months later at Vista Hermosa Hotel, [now Pryce Plaza Hotel], with former Congressman Luis M. Taruc as the guest speaker.
In celebration, it has lined up various community activities and public relations events to highlight its vision of becoming the “premier Rotary club proactive in delivering excellent services.”
A thanksgiving mass was offered followed by a feeding program for schoolchildren at the West City Central School last Feb. 16. Then cocktails and the opening of exhibit at The VIP Hotel followed was last Feb. 17.
The group’s Pamahaw Espesyal guesting was last Feb. 18 and there was a motorcade last Feb. 19. Yesterday (Sunday), Feb. 21, a bloodletting activity was held at Kiosko Kagawasan in Divisoria this city. This was in partnership with Jollibee and Mindanao Regional Blood Center.
RC West Cagayan de Oro has served the community through its many projects, the most recent of which is the two-classroom school building to be constructed at Sitio Linangohan, Barangay Tablon, Cagayan de Oro. It had its groundbreaking ceremony last January 23, 2010, with Congressman Rufus Rodriguez of Cagayan de Oro’s second District, as special guest.
Congressman Rodriguez has allocated P200,000 for the said project, the said amount to be matched by RC West.
He had done the same for the school building that the Club built in Barangay Balubal last year.
The project at Balubal is the best of its kind, complete with chairs, tables, comfort room and water catchment facility.
President Al Brito is calling all RC West Rotarians to share their financial resources and talents to make sure the school building will be ready for use for school year 2010-2011.
Barangay Captain Romeo Bacarro has pledged to contribute P100,000 thereby increasing the seed money to at least P500,000. RC West’s other educational projects include the Project Uplift, a scholarship for the less fortunate but deserving students in high school and the annual the search for the most outstanding public school teacher award (MOPSTA) which gives recognition to teachers in the public schools.
Other community projects include providing water catchment facilities to its RCCs in Pagatpat and Balubal, conducting alternative livelihood system seminars, environmental projects like tree planting and feeding programs.
The club’s projects are supported by the RC West Foundation who raises funds from the donations of members and supporters, partnerships with other through matching grants, the Inner Wheel Club and the hosting of the annual Oro Open Golf tournament.
The last forty years is a testament of Rotary West’s commitment in delivering service to our less fortunate brothers. No doubt, the next forty years will be devoted to that of more service to the community. Cheers! (Some text/photos by Clifford Roa)
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