KIAMA ROTARY CLUB
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Someone once said "Rotary is a well-kept secret" regarding the work it does in the community; it's not that we are unknown but all too often the picture people have of Rotary involves a pair of tongs and a sausage. Now let me assure you we have no intention of giving away our aprons, but we do need to broaden people's perception of what we do. "Why?", because we want you to join us.
Let me tell you a little about our "service" story; it begins with our motto "Service Above Self" a willingness to give back in some way to our community locally, nationally and internationally. It's not my purpose today to talk about any of our projects other than to illustrate how it all works.
You will be aware that last year (and this year, November 24, 2019) the Rotary Clubs of Kiama and Gerringong stage the "Kiama Auto Expo" in the Kiama Showground; 3000 people through the gates and over 300 cars to view. Over 80 Rotarians give up their Sunday to help maximise the funds raised on the day; but did you know that during the day we operate a free skin cancer clinic?
With the support of local GP's these clinics have referred members of our community for specialist follow-up, which in some cases has been proved to be life saving. Money raised from our last three Expos has enabled a PhD student, at the University of Queensland, to conduct ground-breaking research into the mechanisms and cure opportunities for melanoma. All of this is largely invisible to the non-Rotarian but as I said we are working hard to fix that.
We are currently establishing a new relationship with the Kiama Parkinson's Support Group; a fledgling group offering critical support for community members living with Parkinson's Disease. We'll keep you posted as to how we are linking with them and who knows you might feel inclined to join in.
KIAMA LIONS CLUB
A great dinner meeting last week at the Leagues Club. Yet again we were able to induct a new member which is invigorating for the club. All this month our members are going from house to house doing the annual collection for the Red Cross. It is the one chance in the year where everyone can contribute to the great work done by this wonderful organisation that too often we take for granted.
Final rehearsals are underway for the play The 39 Steps at the Pavilion this week. Kiama Lions are sponsoring this event and it promises to be entertaining. Our major fund-raiser for the year will be the Trivia Night again at the Pavilion on April 5. Seats/tables are selling fast and there are thousands of dollars worth of prizes, so look for the posters around town or phone 0417 692 289. The proceeds of this will go our Spinal Cord Injury Trust which aims to assist recent injury victims to re-establish their homes and lives. Our members assisted a local group with the cooking for the "Wheels for Chris" evening at Kiama Downs Surf Club.