Hola.
Hope you are well. This past week Tito and I participated in two good Rotarian activities full of enthusiasm and camaraderie. On Saturday we were invited as guests of honor to the Rio Piedras Club dance in celebration of their 83rd. anniversary. The President, Marcos Perez Cruz, emphasized that it was our Club that sponsored the Rio Piedras Club when it started. Thanks to Marcos for the invitation to such an exquisite feast in their club house.
Then on Tuesday evening we celebrated our second Citizen of the Year Award Dinner where we honored Cmdr. Carmen Rosario, the first woman to head the American Legion of Puerto Rico in its more than one hundred years. We had a wonderful group attending and everybody had a good time, my special thanks to all of you who attended.
My message that night was as follows, which I copy for the benefit of those that were unable to join us at the event:
"Welcome all of you who came tonight to celebrate with us the award of citizen of the year. This day, which I will call a San Juan Rotary Club Holiday, was commenced last year by our previous President Maria Rivera. Maria knows that for Rotary, the concept of service is of primary importance. Therefore, she decided that it would be just and natural for our Club to recognize and honor those persons that carry on meaningful work and usually go over and beyond what is expected. That way our Club becomes part of our community by recognizing them and promoting their honorable deeds.
On a personal note, I have to say I was born during World War II. When I was a little girl I had several cousins in the Army, who sometimes came to our home to visit. I remember how I admired them in their uniforms, they looked so handsome, so important. At that time, that was my only connection with the war, I did not know what it meant to be a soldier, what sacrifices they had to make, what their service was to society. But oddly enough, for several years I had nightmares of soldiers shooting and fighting in the plaza in front of my house. Years later Tito and I were in Hawaii and went to visit Pearl Harbor. I remember we entered the area which was surrounded by a cyclone fence. As soon as we walked in, I felt incredibly sad and I started to cry uncontrollably, I have never cried so hard in my life, and I did not know why. Tito tried to console me, and some ladies came over also, and they asked me if my father or some relative had died in the war, which was not the case. After I calmed down, I was able to visit the museum and to this day I do not know why I reacted that way on my visit to Pearl Harbor. But of course, I have always had profound respect and love for the soldiers; with the years my cousins became veterans and were well loved and respected by the whole family and the community. That is why I was so happy when the Commander's name was suggested for our Citizen of the Year Award, her life as a member of the military and now working in the American Legion to support our veterans, make her worthy of receiving this honor, because like Rotary, the members of the armed forces put service above self."
Next week is Memorial Day week, so we will take a recess and there will be no meeting. We will meet again on Tuesday June 4, in AFDA as usual.
June is the last month of the Rotarian fiscal year, which means there will be several important activities programmed. The following is a summary of those events, please take note in your calendars.
INDUCTION OF NEW MEMBERS: On our Tuesday June 4 meeting, we will have the induction ceremony of our new members. The speaker will be Maria, our past president, who will talk to us about "Empower Art", her new venture after she retired from Kevane Grant Thornton, which will be most interesting. Be sure to plan to be there, you will enjoy the event.
FOR NEW MEMBERS: The Governor Maria del Carmen Pacheco and Luz Miriam Ortiz, the director of membership, are inviting all members that started as Rotarians during this year 2023-2024, to a reception on Saturday June 8 at 1:00 PM in the School of Fine Arts of Manati. The activity is free for the new members.
AWARD CEREMONY: On our meeting of June 18, there will be an award ceremony recognizing the work done during this past year.
CHANGE OF COMMAND: On June 25 we will have the change of command event from us to Jorge Gonzalez, our President for 2024-2025, with the visit of the new Governor, Marco Belen,
DISTRICT CONFERENCE: And lastly, but not least, remember the District Conference for this year, where we will have the opportunity to meet so many fellow Rotarians from other clubs. The main activities will be held on Saturday June 29, at Costa Bahia Resort in Guayanilla, and you are all invited to attend. Tito and I have registered for the whole weekend and would love to see you there.
See you next June 4, until then, relax and be well.
Delia
787-649-9425
deliacolorado@hotmail.com
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