First Quarter Snapshot

“Every Accomplishment Starts With the Decision to Try.”

A fresh year and our new board just saw the conclusion of the initial quarter and like any other regular beginning, ours too was one which promised several ideas for projects and initiatives and hopes for a fruitful year. What made our first three months great was our ability to pull off the planned projects with a level of commitment and unity that assures that the next three quarters would be as successful.

If challenges need to be mentioned, then what we find to be our main is leveling up to the standards set by the preceding board in terms of quality of the projects, but so far we have only being raising them and for this we are thankful to the advice and guidance gifted to us by the board members of the previous year and of course our present dynamic board of directors and members!

Our first quarter saw us organize nine projects and six fun initiatives that are underway. Here are the happenings of our first quarter in a nutshell:

• Iftar 2016 – Our year began with our annual community service project which took place at the Ash-Shifaa Home for the Mentally Challenged (Kollonawa). A memorable evening was spent with the children of Ash-Shifaa playing football and doing artwork. We also got to break fast with them and that way celebrate a day of the holy month of Ramadan alongside a charitable cause. Check this link to know more of how our evening was spent –
• Game Stall – Our first finance project was in lieu of our 7^th Installation Ceremony where we set up a game stall in the premises of where the annual CIMA Sports Day took place, in order to raise funds to meet certain expenses related to the organizing of our installation. Games such as …. Were organized and it was appreciated by all who took part.
• Club Outing –  A Club Outing to Galle Face Green was planned a few days prior to our 7^th Installation Ceremony and this was mainly for internal fellowship and bonding to reduce the pre-stress level involved in organizing the Installation. This plan surely was of advantage as all our members who took part had a great evening playing Fetch, Run and Catches and singing. Our evening ended with dinner at Nana’s and dessert from an ice-cream truck. We sure do look forward to more such projects!
• 7^th Installation Ceremony– Our 7^th Installation Ceremony took place during the evening of the 7^th of August,2016 at the Royal College Skills Union. This much anticipated event saw the collaring of our president, Rtr. Maneesha Abeyarathne and her board of officials for the year and was one occasion to reminisce and appreciate the bygone year and look forward to what the current held. Our Installation Ceremony was attended by dignitaries of Rotary and Rotaract and many members from our fellow Rotaract Clubs . This project of ours being highly commended by our Rotaract District for its proper organization and high standards, was definitely one of the highlights of the evening and the quarter. Visit this link to know more about our board of officials for the year 2016-17 –
• • How to Approach Sponsors – This was an informal seminar conducted by our Club’s very own IPP. Rtr.Aaqeel Jiffry where our members were taught of certain valuable tips and knacks which could be used to convert a potential sponsor to a strategic sponsor. It was a project which happened during the course of our usual weekly meeting and all present were benefitted from the suggestions on how to approach sponsors with confidence and the relevant content.

   

   

   

  Power LinkedIn – This project of the Professional Development avenue involved having our charter vice president and the IT maestro of the Club Rtr.Dinusha Sandaruwan, explain to us the significance of having a LinkedIn profile and how to feed the right information to add the element of professionalism in one’s profile. All of our Club’s members were encouraged to join LinkedIn and those with existing accounts, were told to regularly update it. You too could get to know what these tips of his were and power up your LinkedIn account, if you just click this link to the article dedicated to it –

• Movie Marathon – A Movie Marathon was organized by the Finance Avenue directors as a fundraiser and this was held in an available classroom at Achievers Lanka Business School. The extent of PR for this project was fairly large and many did turn up to watch the three movies we screened, namely, Warcraft, Now You See Me 2 and Suicide Squad at just Rs.200 per ticket. In addition to screening the movies, we also had a popcorn and brownie stall which also aided in raising funds.
• Membership Drive – Given that the CIMA fast track intake of Achievers Lanka Business School is mainly during the month of September, we decided to carry out our membership drive campaign during this season in order to be more effective. The chairpersons along with the support of the IT Directors and the rest of the club, prepared a video covering the areas of what is Rotaract, what it means to be a Rotaractor, how our club has performed during the past years and so on. This video was screened to the fast track batch along with a brief presentation by Rtr. Naadir. The students were encouraged to ask questions and clarify doubts. This was the ideal target market for the project, given that most of them had just left school. The fact that there were quite a few past interactors was a definite advantage.A total of 12 new members eagerly joined the club, indicating the success of the project.
• IS Quiz Night – This quiz took place at Achievers Lanka Business School, and members were asked to be present in large numbers in order to take advantage of this eventful evening.The chairpersons presided over the event and described how the quiz would take place, mentioning the rules to be adhered to. Members were divided into 3 teams: Albania, Bulgaria and Cambodia, and to add an element of excitement, teams were asked to choose between 3 buzzers: a spoon & plate, a whistle and a bell.
• In round 1, pictures relating to a particular country were displayed in a video presentation. The team that buzzed first was required to name the country and subsequently answer a bonus question related to that country.Round 2 was about identifying the map outline and flags of different countries. Members raced through countries with enthusiasm and tough competition to gain additional points.The highlight of the evening, which also concluded the quiz, was the emerging of Team Albania as the champions with the highest points. Chairpersons Rtr. Samina and Rtr. Insiya handed over their award and thanked the members for being a part of this successful quiz.
• As mentioned before, in addition to organizing these projects, we also introduced projects which are ongoing and which we  hope to continue over the next few quarters as well. They are:
  • President of the Month – a project of the Professional Development avenue where avenue directors would have to conduct a formal Rotaract meeting by themselves, once a month.
• Round Robin Sessions– an initiative by the Professional Development duo with the aim of improving impromptu speaking abilities and confidence levels.
• • Birthday Wish List – an implementation which involves members listing things they would prefer being gifted within a given budget which they would be gifted with, for their birthday. This helps the members in feeling a sense of belonging in the Club and betters relationships.

   

  • You Are Not Alone – an initiative to sponsor the upbringing of 4 orphaned children at the SOS Village in Jaffna, by payments made online, cash or card.
  • • District Basketball Practices –

     

    With several projects that were organized, our first quarter in retrospect was a fairly eventful one which involved planning, fun and commitment which were all present in just the right ounces,  within the members of the Club.

    Congratulations to all the Clubs on getting through the initial quarter!