An
interesting story from one of the young Peace Presidents of RI District 3830. I
wrote this after interviewing him sometime in May this year, but again, this is
not the draft published in ROTARY MOMENTS as this is a third
person story.
------------
Bien
Mallari
Rotary
Club of Muntinlupa North
Way back
in 2011, Bien (rightmost in photo) was just a two years old Rotarian but he already showed
leadership potential that his club mates were convinced that he could be a good
Club President someday. So when the club
voted for their President-Elect in 2011, he was nominated and out of the 19
members who were present that day, the result was an overwhelming 18-1 in his
favor. Everyone voted for him, except himself as he voted another clubmate that
he nominated. So his Presidency started
with a solid and full support by his clubmates.
And still,
like many incoming Club Presidents, he was also hesitant at the start to assume
the Club leadership given the amount of time and commitment expected of a
President. But the PETS, the continued support of his clubmates and District
officials enabled him to proceed with enthusiasm. He later got the “hang” of
rendering various community services to the less privilege people with passion.
The club
has two signature projects that are focused on the youth and children. The
first is the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA). This is a special training
program by Rotary International via the thousands of Rotary Clubs worldwide to
cultivate leadership ability of people between 14 to 30 years old through seminars
and awards recognition. The District RYLA as hosted by the club was made last
November 2012.
The second
important project of the club is the “Teach a Child Project”, an educational
program for 50+ children aged 3 to 4 years old, covering eight sessions from December
2012 to March 2013. The kids are not
only taught some introductory academic exercises and introduced to some games,
they are also well fed. Parents and guardians of the kids are very happy with
this opportunity given to their children at no cost to them.
Bien recalls
that he has many unforgettable moments in Rotary during his term, but three occasions
stood out. First was during their PETS training, the friendship and instant bonding with fellow
professionals and businessmen bounded by a common ideals of “service above
self”. It was simply overwhelming. Plus the friendship and guidance of Governor
Sue Sta. Maria and other District officials.
The
conclusion of their PETS was that they wrote down the things and projects that
they planned to achieve as President. The papers were put in a bamboo container
that will be opened only at the end of their term, in late June 2013.
The
second most unforgettable moment he
experienced was during his club induction of officers and oath-taking, where
many of his classmates and district officers joined him and cheered with him. It
was like the PETS camaraderie again except that he was the “star” of the
night. And the third was during the District
Conference (DISCON) in March 2013 where they were especially mentioned for
significantly improving their club membership.
Other
important club activities during his term were (a) the Children’s Christmas
party last December, (b) Medicines
Donation last April, (c) Fun Run last May, (d) fire truck delivery, a matching grant application of IPP Romel
Abanto that was approved during Bien’s term, and (e) club participation
in the Philippine Rotary Homes. The last initiative was started by the District
in Paranaque a few years ago. It yielded good results so the program will soon
be replicated in Muntinlupa and other areas of District 3830.
Bien takes
pride in being supported fully by his clubmates from the beginning to the end
of his term. Also by the warm support by District Governor Sue Sta. Maria and
other district officials.
Before
Bien became President, the club used to meet in just one restaurant for many
years. Bien brought the club members to various restaurants and venues,
something that excited many members. They looked up to new venues, new food,
new environment. The best venue they
found and they later made as their regular meeting place, is Vivere Hotel. The
hotel manager also became their club member. A cool and mutually beneficial
arrangement.
Now that
his term is ending, Bien summarizes his experience as a Club President: “Masarap at kakatuwa pala tumulong sa iba
nang walang kapalit.”
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