Articles

HELPING OTHERS
By Basil Springer

"In a world populated from one end to the other, where each of us occupies only an infinitely small space amidst a virtual human sea of six billion people, have you ever wondered why you‚re here or pondered your distinct purpose on earth? Of course you have, we all have from time to time. And even though we are just one, we can make a world of difference if we‚re willing to give ourselves a chance to not only discover our true purpose, but to live our lives fulfilling our purpose on earth" www.motivational-inspirational-corner.com

Over the weekend we celebrated our 40th wedding anniversary. My father, Charles Reginald Courtenay Springer, passed away almost nine years ago, but had he been alive today, he and my novogenarian mother Rita would have celebrated their 64th wedding anniversary on the same day. My son Kevin and his wife Nadia celebrated their 3rd anniversary earlier in the week. These statistics may appear to be somewhat daunting in light of the reportedly high divorce rates nowadays. They are reflective of what can be achieved if one decides to stay the course. It may indeed be regarded as an example for the younger generation.

Traditionally, the society is built around family units, the collection of which then forms communities, nations and the world. A strong family unit inspires members of the family to excel in their chosen fields of endeavour. Amidst the turmoil of a decaying environment, we are indeed proud that our three offspring have established a strong foundation on which to build their lives and would like to think that sustaining a family unit contributed significantly to it.

Another rewarding experience which I have found over the years is to give as much time as possible to helping others. Indeed, I believe this to be a significant part of the purpose of our own lives. My assessment is that, like the high divorce rates among married couples, there is decaying willingness among individuals to stay the course in helping others. Many of us join service clubs, but it is sad to say that it appears to be more for the glamour than for their devotion to service. The individuals who spend time building strong family units and spend time giving Œservice above self‚, our Rotarian motto, are few and far between. The challenge therefore is to motivate these individuals to give readily of their time to helping others. As an incentive we may promote that there will be an immediate reward of contentment, gratification and fulfillment within oneself. This in turn puts us in a frame of mind which increases our productivity in areas of gainful employment activity.

Talking about September anniversaries, on Sunday the nineteenth of September, the Cardiac Support Group of the Heart Foundation of Barbados is holding its third annual fundraising luncheon. It is in the idyllic setting of the Future Centre at Edgehill in St. Thomas and on the two previous occasions a good time was had by all. Tours of the sustainable development exhibits (indoor and outdoor) will be available to patrons of the lunch. The lunch itself will be healthy and nutritious and live music will be in the air.

This time next year, Ivan permitting, we should be celebrating the 1st anniversary of Counterpart Caribbean‚s Annual Fundraising Golf Tournament. The inaugural event takes place on Tuesday 7th September and we have a good field of teams of four who will be vying for attractive prizes. Counterpart Caribbean at The Future Centre is a sustainable development organization and Corporate Barbados has responded well to the event.

The tournament tees off at 12.30 p.m. at the Royal Westmoreland Golf Club and there may be a few places for last minute composite teams of four to enter and participate in an afternoon of relaxation and fun with colleagues and customers followed by a reception after which the prizes will be awarded. This is a unique opportunity to initiate new business contacts in a relaxed setting, or simply enjoy spending time with old friends. Counterpart Caribbean is honoured that the Rt Hon.Sir Garry Sobers will be participating as a member of one of the teams.

Teams will be vying for a trophy as well as attractive prizes donated by an airline, an hotel, a number of restaurants and commercial houses. Included in the prizes are fine quality 100% pure Sea Island Cotton pique polo shirts produced, by Gulf Stream Trading in the USA under the Carstarphen label, from cotton lint grown and ginned in Barbados. This company is a potential strategic marketing partner of the newly formed Exclusive Cottons of the Caribbean Inc. The prizes will be presented by Sir Neville Nicholls, Patron of Counterpart Caribbean. Mr. Abu Suleman, who is a shining example of how important it is to help others, very kindly agreed to organise the tournament on behalf of Counterpart Caribbean.

Interested sponsors should email Counterpart Caribbean at futurecentre@sunbeach.net or the author of this column, as soon as possible for details.
Counterpart Caribbean is raising funds to help develop the Future Centre into a world class scientific and educational sustainable development exhibition for children, tourists and residents alike.

(Dr. Basil Springer GCM is Change-Engine Consultant, Caribbean Business Enterprise Trust Inc. (CBET) - http://www.cbet-inc.org