This was the third in the series with the first having been given by PP Donovan under the theme The People and The Projects, the second by PP Lloyd had focused on The Concept of Voluntarism and Rotary, and now the third was styled to show how Rotary can have a third party impact on club members and their families and external colleagues and thus generate a culture of service outside of the club itself.
PP Lance set the background to the impact of Rotary on his Jamaican dream of raising a well-rounded family with a social conscience, by giving us a tour of his life before Rotary.
He had what he described as “Happy but humble beginnings”, his mother, a teacher, hailed from a district called Cambridge in St. James while his father, also a civil servant in the 1960s was from Springfield in the same parish.
Mom died in 1965 when Lance was five and he and his three brothers and cousin were raised by his dad and grandmother before being joined by two more siblings in the 1970s when his Dad remarried.
He mostly went to primary schools where his aunts taught such as Shortwood Practising, Elletson Road All-Age and then Mico Practising, before going on to Jamaica College, the University of the West Indies and Law School.
PP Lance shared that it was in Rotary that he first had the personal experience with service and volunteerism and learned the joy and fulfilment of giving back.
He became president of the Rotary Club of Road Town in the BVI in 2000 and credits Rotary with enhancing his leadership abilities, public speaking and organizational skills which assisted him in his vocation as an Attorney.
As president, he inducted his wife Judy in 2000 and she became so immersed in the movement that she went on to serve in almost every conceivable position including director of service projects, foundation director, sergeant at arms, vice president, president, and as the first Assistant Governor, the Rotary Club of St. Andrew has had in decades and its first female AG ever.
His daughter Jessica was the local school winner of the Rotary Sponsored Spelling Bee and a national finalist, and became a fixture at the Rotary Club of St. Andrew for many years, playing the piano at the club on a number of occasions and attending various projects. She served as our Social Media officer for two years and was our Guest Speaker on occasion.
Jessica played forward the service culture she assimilated from Rotary in a wide range of local and internal projects including *Tutor at Chambers’ Lane Champions Homework Program; * Teacher at The Music House Program for Autistic Students; *Counsellor at Moorlands Christian Camp; *Volunteer at Campion Big Brother/Big Sister Program; * Volunteer at Citizens' Action for Free and Fair Elections; * Volunteer at the Hope Institute Jamaica;* Volunteer at Relay For Life Jamaica Cancer Society; * monthly donor to Yemen via UNICEF; * Sponsor of two Jamaican students through STEAM House whose goal is to teach 1,000 rural and inner-city students at the primary level to code; * Donating to End Period Poverty and adjoining sister campaigns to empower young women; *Donating to The Angelic Ladies Society (ALS) Girls Home Tour; * Donor to Hurricane Dorian Relief Fund and Australian Fire Relief; *Donor to Partnership Against Domestic Violence and* Donor to Feeding America.
Lance’s son Konrad’s indoctrination began at an even earlier age than Jessica’s did, and he too became a fixture at club events and projects, also playing the piano at Christmas and being a guest speaker at the club meeting and church service. Lance credits these activities with helping Konrad with some of his early speech development impediments.
Konrad has also gone on to give back in a life of service as a result of the influence of Rotary. As a student of the Normal Manley law school he was a member of the NMLS Men at Work initiative where along with other male colleagues, he visited young men at their high schools to provide guidance and mentorship. Making a special effort to connect with boys who were having disciplinary problems and providing positive male influences.
He was also part of The Children’s Outreach Club whose mission is to help minors throughout the nation.
The Council of Legal Education recognized Konrad’s efforts by conferring him with the Norman Manley Law School Prize for Community Service, an award granted to the student most involved in community outreach programs.
The Council of Legal Education recognized Konrad’s efforts by conferring him with the Norman Manley Law School Prize for Community Service, an award granted to the student most involved in community outreach programs.
And Rotary has also played a role in the molding of Lance’s youngest child, Benjamin who came of age when the family was in full Rotary Kool Aid mode and has been a part of Rotary service and fellowship all his life … regularly helping with seniors treat and other events. Seemingly one of the most impactful events came when he participated in the donation of various video game learning systems he had outgrown to needy children at Somerset School in Rural St Andrew in 2013.
That experience as a 10 year old, led to him as a 17 year old high school senior deciding to conceive, design, fund and execute a Major Charitable Project involving donating six “LeapStart” educational gaming systems and accessories, with learning and development centred games, to three needy institutions, two basic schools in underprivileged areas and a home for orphaned HIV Aids afflicted children.
He taught the teachers and students how to use the systems and created an instructional video for them. For these and other service oriented efforts and work Benjamin was rewarded by his high school, the American International School of Kingston, with the prestigious Empowerment Award and recognized for Service Leadership.