Young dentist becomes sixth woman president of Mandeville Rotary Club
Published:Friday | July 16, 2021 | 12:05 AMDamion Mitchell/Integration Editor
AN EVENING of wit, charm and humour Tuesday culminated with the installation of dentist Dr Kimberly Freeman as the 58th president of the Rotary Club of Mandeville.
Freeman, 29, is one of the youngest-ever presidents of the club and only the sixth woman to lead the Mandeville service group established in January, 1964.
“I remember Rotary being some sort of an old boys’ club, but I’m a perfect illustration of how forward-thinking Rotary has become,” said Freeman during her installation at the Golf View Hotel in the Manchester capital.
The daughter of a Rotarian father, Freeman works as a dentist at the Spalding and Milk River dental clinics in Clarendon and has been a member the Rotary Club of Mandeville since 2019. In her first year, she served as club service director and in her second year as secretary. With her installation to the office of president, Freeman is fired up to serve even more, a trait she said she learned from her grandfather.
“I grew up learning that you must stay humble and help others,” she told the small gathering who turned out to witness her installation, pledging to lead the Rotary Club of Mandeville in a first-class way to deliver a “superlative” effect.
On Freeman’s agenda are several activities to raise funds to help the Mandeville Regional Hospital and schools in the parish, hard hit by resource shortage worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic.
It is a continuation of some of the outreach of the last Rotary administration headed by the Church Teachers’ College principal, Dr Garth Anderson. “It’s about service above self,” said Anderson.
Earlier, Barita Investments’ Mandeville Branch Manager Vanessa Williams issued a similar call, urging Rotarians to create worldclass opportunities for all members.
However, Williams said the secret to successful partnership begins with loving oneself and loving others.
“If you can identify a real reason for not loving yourself, then change it,” she charged.