It’s been a little over six months since I assumed the Presidency of the Rotary Club of Manila South. In that time, the Club has undertaken 22 community service projects ranging from conducting fogging operations in Intramuros to holding financial management seminars for government officials; from distributing free meds in the Manila City Jail, to conducting a medical and dental mission among the displaced Aytas of Porac, Pampanga.
-
Fight the Dengue Bite -
How to Avoid Peralysis -
#Mitayna -
Manila City Jail
But for all that, I am proudest – by far – of the Fire Safety Lecture and Demonstration that my Club organized for District 3810: The EarlyAct Assembly.
Held at the Universidad de Manila campus – thanks to the kind accommodation by UDM President Malou Tiquia (@maltiq) – the EarlyAct District Assembly hosted close to a hundred Early Actors from various Rotary Clubs in DIstrict 3810. We had Bureau of Fire Prevention (BFP) personnel come and give lectures on fire safety, earthquake survival, and CPR! They learned how quickly small fires can get out of control (less than five minutes in a typically furnished room), how to put out fires with a fire extinguisher, and how not to lose your head in case of a fire. One of the biggest hits of the day’s activities, in fact, was the live demonstration of how to put out a fire spouting out of an LPG tank.
Imagine how empowering it was for these kids, to be made aware (in some cases, probably for the first time) that they were not powerless in emergency situations.
And we had mascots too! The BFP guys were kind enough to bring Bera and Bero along (as in Bumbera and Bumbero, y’know) to liven up the event.
There’s all sorts of ways to render service. Rotary recognizes that helping build up the youth – the New Generation as they say – is every bit as vital as say, eradicating polio. For my Club, helping kids become Fire Safety Champs is how we contribute to this mission.