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Tuesday, November 2, 2021

Why are there Silly Fines at Rotary meetings?


Photo credit: Unsplash

Silly fines, as the name suggests are fines that members are charged at a meeting to help the club run its operations and projects. They are meant to make members laugh and have fun while the fines are being paid.

Silly fines are not supposed to be an instrument of punishment, where members are only fined for not doing something. Occasionally, members can be fined for not being appropriately 'dressed' as Rotarians (such as not wearing their pins). However that shouldn't be routine. A member can even be fined for being promoted at work, or looking radiant at a meeting. Another funny example can be fining bald members. 👨🏾‍🦲

To ensure that members enjoy giving these tokens to help their clubs, some clubs have decided to scrap the "silly fine" name and rather take "happy dollar" or "gratitude dollar" where members pay a token for something they are happy about, or grateful for.

The role of fine master is also not the preserve of the Sergeant-at-Arms. A different member can be chosen to play that role at every meeting to spice it up.

May we be encouraged to pay our fines, when we are charged at meetings, whether in-person or virtual.

Join us. #WeAreRotary

Monday, May 3, 2021

AngiLin FoodDrive donates to The Potters Village Orphange

 

Group picture with the Founder and children of The Potters Village orphanage

AngiLin FoodDrive, the humanitarian arm of AngiLin Catering Services visited the Potters Village Orphanage in Dodowa last Saturday, May 1, 2021 and shared love with them.

The group was joined by Nessa's Candlelight Foundation and made a donation of food items, toiletries, stationery and nose masks to the orphanage to mark their mid-year donation programme. The leader of the team, Angela Agyeman mentioned that the donation was different than the usual exercise the group used to carry out, as it didn't include cooked food. The group plans to hold such mid-year donations in the coming years, and encourages others to come on board in giving back to society.
 

Angela making the donation
Items presented to the orphanage
















For over 3 years, AngiLin Catering Services has been organising food drives every December in suburbs of Accra. Last year, 700 packs of food packs, over 10 packs of drinks and water, and some clothing were shared in Nima and its environs, as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility. Another food drive is being planned for December, 2021. Individuals and organisations are encouraged to join in, and support the cause.

The manager of the orphanage thanked the groups for their kind gesture and mentioned that the school needed help to complete a building under construction and also to paint the Boys' dormitory.

Do follow and engage AngiLin Catering Services on all social media platforms @angilincatering.

Monday, November 30, 2020

The ‘Rotary’ book

 

Stamped inscription in donated books

The drums had been beaten for the lesson to be changed that late morning. My school used drums instead of a bell for announcements, and prompts to change lessons every forty, or forty-five minutes (I think). Next on the timetable was ‘Library time’. This was a period set aside every week for students to read a book from the school’s library. 


My school, Oninku Drive ‘2’ Basic school, located in Tema, has the motto Knowledge is Service. Readers are leaders, after all, and leaders are to serve, with the knowledge they acquire. For me, this library time was one of moments I looked forward to with happiness and impatience, as I got to read more books just like my friends who were patrons of the Community Library. I had accompanied a couple of them to the community library before but never got registered as a patron. 


My class prefect went for the box containing books for my class from the headmistress’ office. All the classes in my school had designated boxes based on content, book size, subject matter, et cetera. The boxes were silver in colour and had the names of the classes embossed on them for easy identification. I was one of the people to rush to the box when it was brought into the classroom, with excitement. I reached into the box and took a book to read and saw a stamped inscription, “Donated by Rotary Club of Tema”, on the first page, beneath the title of the book. I noticed other books also had the same stamped inscription on them. I do not remember the title of the book, but it was about some kid investigators who started their own private eye agency to investigate strange happenings in their neighbourhood. This was the first time I had heard of Rotary, without knowing who they were, or what it meant. I enjoyed reading the book – for the next three weeks – and went on to read other books donated by Rotary. 


Most of the books found in the libraries of government schools, at that time, were donated by individuals and organizations. I believe the case is still the same. I will always remember Gideons International and the little Bibles they distributed and donated to schools and other organizations. I never forgot the name Rotary though; and would see it again in the not too distant future. 


A couple of months later, I remember the first time some friends and I went to play around the Rotary Center in Tema, hunting grasshoppers and some rats (popularly known as ‘beela’). My friend Elvis has fond memories of such expeditions, and often teases me with it. The center was a huge place and my little mind mapped it to the book. I thought they were a book publishing firm. It will take me some years to know what Rotary is and what they are about. I will come to appreciate Rotary’s interest in Education and Literacy and the support they have given to the sector for over 100 years.