New Kiwanis district leader visits Jamaica

For the second year in a row, a Caribbean national is governor of Kiwanis' Eastern Canada & Caribbean District. Bahamas-born Melford Clarke, newly elected governor for the period October 1, 2018 to September 30, 2019, was recently invited to visit Jamaica by Division 23 East, one of the 26 divisions in the district, and one of the four divisions in Jamaica.

Founded in 1915, Kiwanis International is a global organisation of clubs and members dedicated to improving the world, one children and one community at a time. The Eastern Canada and Caribbean District is one of the largest and most diverse of the 49 districts that comprise the Kiwanis family.

While in Jamaica, the governor attended a number of events and Kiwanis projects, including the changing of the guard of Division 23 East and Installation ceremony of Kiwanis clubs of Constant Spring and Young Professionals Kingston, two of the clubs in the division.

One of the highlights of the evening was the installation of Lieutenant Governor Pamela Rodney White as the head of Division 23 East, who, during the evening, outlined the division's main focus, one of which is to execute more projects aimed at including and assisting persons living with disability, under the theme 'Championing the cause for service, growth and persons living with disability'. In keeping with her focus, four scholarships totalling US$800 were presented that night to trainees at the Abilities Foundation, and Kiwanians were encouraged to support Gigi, a young lady living with cerebral palsy whose book, Defying the Odds, CP and Me, was on sale at the event.