Inner Wheel Club reviews fundraising programmes as it celebrates 34 years

Mar 17, 2019 News

---

With one of its primary aims being to promote true friendship, the Inner Wheel Club of Georgetown had its genesis back in October 1984.
Its founder President, Mrs. Mayleen Davis, has been credited with ensuring that the Club started on a firm foundation.
The club currently has Ms. Santosh Bera as its President even as it celebrates 34 years of existence.
According to Bera, “I am humbled and honoured to have been elected as the president for the year 2018-2019. Chairing an Inner Wheel Club is a great responsibility. My contributions over the years have varied. However, I know that this responsibility must be undertaken with both seriousness and pleasure.”
Because of the seriousness of the contributions of the club, Bera is convinced that it will continue to leave a lasting impression and the world a slightly better place. She added that in keeping with this year’s theme: “Empower and Evolve”, she has been reviewing the entity’s fund raising programmes.
This theme, she said, also complements the objective of the club, which is “To Promote True Friendship. We should seek to empower others and evolve as a club by growing in our membership.”
“Making a change must come from within if we hope to make a change in our communities and nation. We must make a true effort to strengthen our own membership for the longevity of the club. Our club must also evolve to meet the challenges of a changing world,” Bera asserted.
Over the years, the club has accomplished several projects.
Bera recalled, “During my tenure as President, it is my hope that we will together be able to implement projects to empower persons by improving their quality of life through a dental and medical outreach programme.”
“In empowering others, I would also like us to assist one impoverished community through some kind of project. These are just a few ideas that I have at this time but with the help of my fellow members hope to put our heads together to make this a meaningful and successful year.”

Guyana, she noted, now more than ever, needs all to unite and pool their energies and resources so that “we can make a difference to those in need and to be able to bring harmony in our society. I would like to extend our deepest appreciation to all the organisations, individuals, friends too numerous to mention, the Rotarians, Rotaractors, who have contributed to the success of our projects over the years.”
Governing the operation of the club, there are a number of aims and objects. Aside from the promotion of true friendship, it also seeks to encourage the ideals of personal Service and to foster international understanding.

To accomplish these, the organisation is tasked with fundraising for charitable purposes.
Among organisations, it has assisted over the years are The Red Cross Convalescent Home; The Cheshire Home; Uncle Eddie’s Home; The Gentlewomen’s Home; The Trinity Methodist, Sacred Heart; St. Andrew’s Feeding Programmes and Red Cross Meals on Wheels; Kids First Fund; The Main Street Drop In Centre; Mothers Union and YMCA Day Care Centres; The Guyana Cancer Society and The Periwinkle Breast Cancer Support Group; The Guyana Relief Council, Rose Hall Youth and Sports Club; The Rotary Flood Relief Project; Yearly Christmas Cheer to various Schools; and the Guyana Society for the Blind.
Other areas of service include the delivery of hot meals to some elderly, needy and shut-ins, visiting Senior Citizens Homes and taking the residents on trips for entertainment. Needy families identified by members are provided with monthly food hampers or a stipend and the club has also been known to help individuals, groups, churches, schools, among others with day to day needs, medical treatment and maintenance of their physical environment.
The club has also sponsored medex students and given out scholarship assistance for tertiary education in the fields of medicine and education.
Added to this, it has also been involved in the rehabilitation of the Peter’s Hall Nursery School, with the help of Futures Fund, and continues to lend support towards it maintenance.
In 1994, the club raised $211,205 from its take away lunch fundraiser, which was donated to the Palms Restoration Fund. Its major project for the year 1995/96 was the repair and refurbishment of the burnt out section of the Holy Family Home at a cost of $1,388,186.00 and during the year 1997/98, its largest project to date was the refurbishment of the play area at the National Park.
On April 30, 2008, a joint agreement was signed with Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company for the continuation of the project. The club has also conducted Dental Outreach to Little Baibu and major work in the Promenade Gardens.

 

---

---