~Henna Budhrani installed as 46th President~
PHILIPSBURG, – The Rotary Club of St. Maarten kicked off its new Rotary year on Saturday, June 11, at The Dreams Beach Bar and Restaurant in Nettle Bay, St. Martin.
Outgoing President Jeffrey “Dr. Soc” Sochrin thanked the outgoing Board of Directors for their service and recounted the accomplishments of the past year. Sochrin explained, “This was a year of fun and a year of change for our club. Of the more than ten projects accomplished, two of the projects stand out for me as impacting our community in new and fun ways.
First, the Cardiology Conference, co-sponsored with Nagico Insurances and the Windward Islands Medical Association, paved the way for continuing medical education for medical professionals around the region and gave members of the public an opportunity to learn about cardiac disease and to ask questions to cardiologists directly. Second, the Visiting Optometrists Serving Humanity or VOSH Project, brought free eye examinations and more than 3,000 pairs of eyeglasses to over 1,400 residents of our community. A special thank you to VOSH Team and Rick Cassidy for helping us make this happen.”
Sochrin continued, “These programs were groundbreaking for our community and they demonstrated the true meaning of Service above Self and what it means to be a Rotarian. Thank you to everyone for making this experience one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.”
President Sochrin then officially turned over the reins of the Rotary Club of St. Maarten to Henna Budhrani.
Budhrani eloquently stated, “We do not remember days; we remember moments. I consider myself very fortunate to be a part of Rotary through which I have been privileged to touch hearts and lives of our community through the benefits of fellowship.”
Newly installed President Budhrani introduced her new Board Members and Committee Chairpersons including: Secretary/President-elect John Caputo, Immediate Past President Sochrin, Vice President Pierre DeCelles, Vice President Robert Judd, Treasurer Junior Gumbs, Sargent-at-Arms Franklyn Maynard, Anil Sabnani and Danny Ramchandani (Fundraising) Vrisha Motwani and Geeta Katnani (Fun and Fellowship), Larry Gregory (Disaster Relief), Sherylle de Haarte (Administration), Edward Bardfield (Technology Services), Melanie Daboul (Public Relations), Maayke Martina (Membership), James Ferris (New Generations) and Kishore Idnani (Service Projects).
“As we embark on the Rotary year 2016-2017, we have a number of exciting events planned, which will continue to focus on education, literacy, the youth and the elderly,” Budhrani concluded.
