From Handing Over Ceremony 28th June, 2026:
Standing before you this morning, I am filled with an overwhelming sense of gratitude, humility, and immense pride. To be chosen as the President of the Rotary Club of St Augustine for the 2026–2027 Rotary year is an honor I do not take lightly.
I wish to convey my deepest appreciation to our Immediate Past President (IPP), Melissa Senhouse Cox and the outgoing board. You have steered our club with grace and unwavering dedication over the past year. Those successful fundraisers were able to fund some very impactful projects. The amazing fellowship events created engagement and lasting friendships amongst our members and Rotarians from many other clubs. Your efforts led to the achievement of many awards for our Club, including the District Governor Club Excellence Diamond award. Please put your hands together for IPP Melissa and her board for their incredible service and achievements.
My Rotary journey began unexpectedly in April 2013 during a work assignment in Montserrat. Just two days into the job, a colleague invited me to a Tuesday evening meeting. I walked in with no expectations, completely unaware it was a Rotary Club event.
The focus of that meeting was their signature fundraising event—Bingo. When I returned the following week, I was immediately recruited to serve as the Bingo Treasurer. For the next twelve weeks, my Friday nights were spent in the heart of the small town center, Counting Bingo money and enjoying the fellowship.
When I returned to Trinidad in 2021, I was warmly welcomed into the Rotary Club of St. Augustine. Can you guess what My very first assignment was? Yes.. Getting the finances organized for the Youth Speak Up project! Since then, I’ve spent four of my five years at the club serving as Treasurer.
At some point, I realized that finance is in my DNA—and you cannot run away from DNA! My mother, God rest her soul, could neither read nor write. But my word, she knew exactly how to count money. That innate financial sense is a legacy I carry with me into every project I touch today.
Through my Rotary journey, I fully embraced the core principles of the Four-Way Test and realized that Rotary’s mission aligned seamlessly with my personal values. Rotary and I are a natural fit! Rotary simply gave a formal name to something I had been doing all along: 'Service Above Self.' That is the exact principle I have lived by my entire life, passed down through the powerful examples set by my parents and the foundational lessons they taught us.
I believe that my life’s journey has prepared me for this very moment, and it is with profound gratitude and honor that I step up to lead the Rotary Club of St. Augustine.
As we step into this new Rotary year, we are guided by a powerful and vital theme: Creating Lasting Impact.
We see "Creating Lasting Impact" on our banners and other Rotary paraphernalia and we can all recite it. But what does it actually look like in practice? For me, it’s about looking beyond the short term. It’s the idea of planting a tree today, knowing we may never eat its fruit, but showing up anyway so that future generations can enjoy the harvest.
To achieve our objectives and to create some purposeful lasting impact, our focus will be built on six core areas and signature projects:
- Deepening Membership Engagement
Our members are the heartbeat of this club. A lasting impact is only possible when every Rotarian feels valued, heard, and connected. We will focus on enhancing our members experience—ensuring that our service projects, meetings, and fellowship events actively involve everyone, from our newest inductees to our most seasoned veterans.
- Fostering Innovative Leadership
The world is changing rapidly, and our club must evolve with it. We will embrace innovative leadership by trying new ideas, leveraging technology to streamline our operations, and finding fresh, creative ways to address community challenges. We want to be a forward-thinking club that inspires others to join our cause.
- Establishing Intentional Succession Planning
Our club has built a legacy over the last 58 years. To ensure our club thrives long after today, and for the next 58 years, we will be focusing heavily on succession planning. We will actively engage and mentor our future leaders, share responsibilities early, and document our practices so that the transition of leadership year after year is seamless, strong and impactful while continuing to Honor the legacy of those who came before us.
- First Signature Focus: Supporting Vulnerable Youths
While we strengthen our internal foundation, our external mission remains clear. This year, one of our main, defining focuses will be supporting our vulnerable youths.
The youths are not just our future; they are our present. Too many young people are facing unprecedented challenges, from economic hardships to a lack of mentorship, resources and social stigma. If we wish to create a truly lasting impact, we must invest in them.
I am incredibly excited to share that we already have a few very impactful projects lined up. Our Restorative Justice project, Girls Empowerment, Boys Empowerment and Waves for Hope projects will focus on providing vital mentorship, improving educational resources, engaging in skills-based training and creating safe spaces for youth development. These aren't just short-term fixes; they are designed to give these young people the tools, confidence, and opportunities they need to rewrite their own futures.
- Second Signature focus – Promoting opportunities in Education and Literacy
Promoting opportunities in Education and Literacy is another signature area of focus this year—because we know that when we champion education, we build a brighter future for absolutely everyone. This year, we’re bringing that mission to life through some incredibly impactful projects, including providing six bursaries to support vulnerable youths at The University of the West Indies.
This project hits incredibly close to home for me. My siblings and I are living examples of how opportunities in education can impact lives. Education has created lasting impact for us and I cannot wait to see how these opportunities transform the lives of these students.
True, lasting impact doesn't happen overnight, and it doesn't happen by accident. It happens when dedicated people roll up our sleeves, combine our unique talents and resources, and decide that we wish to leave the world a little better than we found it.
Now, as I step into the role of President, I am also taking on a second responsibility that is incredibly near and dear to my heart:
Membership.
I chose to lead this portfolio myself because our members are the absolute heartbeat of this organization. I believe deeply in the power of community, in engaging with each of you, and in uplifting one another. Everything we achieve this year, we must achieve together. That is why Deepening Membership Engagement isn't just a goal—it is one of our core areas of focus for the year ahead.
Over the coming weeks, we will roll out the plans for Our Membership Engagement Challenge. We will engage and challenge every member to connect, collaborate and to elevate their impact. We would be asking everyone to bring their passion, their fun, their ideas and energy. And We will measure engagement in all aspect of Rotary Life. With our collective participation, we will make this year a most engaged, impactful and fun one!"
This morning I am thrilled to Invite our DGND/District Membership Chair 2026-2027 Giselle Holder to join me to officially launch our Membership Engagement Challenge!
To my incoming board members: Thank you for committing to lead from the front. Listen, fair warning, I expect nothing less than your A Game!!!.
Let’s step forward together, engage our passions, innovate our leadership, and create a lasting impact that will echo for years to come.
Thank you for your trust, your partnership, and your friendship
To all my family and friends present here today, including many of you who came from the UK to celebrate this weekend with me. Thank you for the love and appreciation. My heart is full. And thank you for sharing me with my other family…my Rotary Family. I love you!!!
Fellow Rotarians, members and friends: We have an exciting year ahead to create lasting impact. Let’s embrace change and innovation, let’s embrace great ideas and creativity, let’s embrace our differences and most of all let’s embrace the generosity, kindness and purpose we find in each other as we collectively continue to live our motto “Service Above Self”
I am envisioning a year ahead with heightened members engagement, lots of impactful projects, successful fundraisers, lots of excitement and fun, fabulous fellowships, delicious food and amazing friendships.
Service Above Self
Valsayn
St George, 0000
Trinidad and Tobago