The Inner Wheel Club of Georgetown…Dedicated to serving a charitable calling

Apr 13, 2014 News

By Kiana Wilburg
Behind every local show or garden party, there is an interesting story about it that gets lost beneath the frolic and is rarely ever told.
The Annual Hat Show and Garden Party that is held at the Promenade Gardens by the Inner Wheel Club of Georgetown (IWCG), is dedicated towards serving a charitable calling.

Members of the Inner Wheel Club (from left) Mitzy Campbell, Margaret Gittens, Barbara Walrond and Jennifer Lewis

For over 28 years, this organization has dedicated its energies to holding fund raising activities, the funds of which are solely invested in promoting the betterment of the lives of the differently-able as well as the unfortunate in many aspects.
The IWCG has been hosting the Annual Hat Show and Garden Party for several years. It has become a major annual event that attracts large audiences.
While this year’s event is slated for Saturday, April 26, the highly anticipated, elegant event is a hat competition for children and adults in the three categories: elegant, topical and original.
With a cool, classy setting it is brought to life with hats of all descriptions and complemented by tasty home-made pastries, cakes and delicious tea. The ambiance is further enhanced by the invigorating music of the Guyana Police Force Band.
But what remains the primary focus is that the members of this charitable association are passionate about raising funds to make an impact in the lives of the less fortunate through scholarships for young adults who desire to be trained in the fields of education and medicine. This is done by participating in community development activities that benefit children and the elderly. There have been many success stories because of this initiative. It remains today, one of the entity’s most prized accomplishments. The group also spreads the joy and magic of Christmas and other festive occasions to orphanages across the country.
The work of Inner Wheel actually started in 1924 when the wives of Rotarians wanted to assist their husbands in fundraising efforts towards Rotary projects. In 1967, the International Inner Wheel was founded and while Inner Wheel Clubs continue to support Rotary, they also have their own projects.
The Inner Wheel Club of Georgetown, chartered on March 16, 1985, recently celebrated 29 years of service and still has active members, like Charter President Maylene Davis, who have served from the inception.

A scene from the Annual Hat Show and Garden Party

To mark this anniversary, the current President of the Club, Aretha Campbell, made a presentation on behalf of the Club to assist Help & Shelter just last month. Representatives from eleven special schools from New Amsterdam, Linden, Grove and Georgetown gathered at the National Park playground where they were presented with many gifts from the IWCG.
The National Park Playground is one of the IWCG’s more visible projects.
The Inner Wheel Club of Georgetown also assists schools for children with special needs. It hopes that its work would help spread awareness of the dedicated work and service being provided by the schools and highlight the needs of these special children, and encourage others to support them in whatever way they can.
The Playground was opened to the public after many years of fundraising and extensive renovation. It features disability-friendly play equipment such as swings with special safety seats, horizontal bars, steering wheels and a triple-deck play structure with wave, curved and straight slides, rung and vine climbers and a bridge.
One of its members, Ms. Mitzy Campbell expressed sincere thanks for UNICEF’s support of the Inner Wheel Club of Georgetown’s vision for the park. She said that the layout is arranged to integrate children of all abilities so that they learn to accept their differences and celebrate their similarities.
She added that several local companies have also been faithful contributors towards supporting the initiative of the organization and as such she extended warm thanks on behalf of the team to GT&T; National Commission on Disability and Cynthia Massay of the Ptolemy Reid Rehabilitation Centre, Scotiabank, Ansa McAl, Farfan & Mendes Ltd./Mines Services Ltd., Gafoors, NT Computeac, and others.
Members of the IWCG have also expressed that in spite of the Club’s enthusiasm and encouragement from sponsors, several persons have reported strong reservations about the likelihood of vandalism and misuse of the equipment.
“For example, teenagers and parents have been seen accompanying their children on the seats of swings which are intended only for infants. Some have questioned security and on-going maintenance of the grounds. During construction and at times when the gate was closed, parents and children accessed the facility by jumping the fence.”
“These are areas in which the Club will work to promote social responsibility and ownership. A lot of hard work has been put in to make this project a reality. Donors’ funds have had to be micro-managed and literally stretched to achieve what we see here today,” the Club’s Playground Project Manager Evelyn Cheong says.
However, in spite of the circumstances, the members of the Club say that they are determined to ensure that the project does not go downhill.
The Club is happy that what started out as a dream has progressed to making life changing impressions on so many lives.
Today, International Inner Wheel has over 100,000 members in 3,895 Inner Wheel Clubs in over 100 countries worldwide.