“Moments always blossom more beautifully in memories.”
The best moments in life don’t come around all the time, once they do, they don’t always last forever, which is why we treasure those moments by making the best memories deep within our hearts and souls. One such day that only comes along once a year for the Rotaractors of the Rotaract Club of Faculty of Science, University of Colombo is the Charter Day of our club, which falls on the 7th of December every year. Thus, thinking out of the box, we decided to celebrate our 15th Charter Day, by commemorating our Rotaract Club’s main goal and purpose, as we united to serve the community through the initiative “Reminisce 2.0”.
The initiative was mainly carried out in two phases. The first phase, executed on the very charter day, the 7th of December, was a charity event and a feel-good day for all of us at Rotaract Club of Faculty of Science, University of Colombo. We all met up at the Racecourse on the 7th of December, and divided into three teams to distribute packs of lunch packets and face masks to 150 underprivileged people who live on the streets, and underpaid street workers and site workers. The COVID 19 pandemic had created a massive impact on these specific groups of people as they did not receive help like they used to. It was evident that this community was not capable of satisfying their hygienic needs and was vulnerable to getting infected by the pandemic. Therefore, with the intention of making at least a day of their lives better and healthier, we decided to distribute packs containing a lunch packet and K95 face masks in the areas of Borella, Galle Face and Bellanwila.
The team was able to end the day on which the club completed 15 years of stature, bringing smiles and safety to one hundred and fifty people who very much deserved the compassion and appreciation we gave along with the pack. As the day came to an end, there was a clear difference in the thoughts that showed the value of a simple yet meaningful initiative, and it was distinctly visible that we were able to build teamwork along with the empathy of our members on that day. The smiles of the people who work hard under the scorching suns gave our Rotaractors encouragement and made them realize how fortunate most of us are to receive our primary needs in ample quantities, despite all hardships most people are going through currently.
A lesson was learnt was to never take the facilities we are provided with for granted, and it awakened our spirit of service to always work hard and give something back to society as Rotaractors. The impact of it was received not only by the people who got the lunch packets and hygiene items but also by the people we met along the way who cared to ask what this is all about and who we were. And also by the people who said to us that “those people need it more than us” and directed us there. An impact was made on the volunteers on that day by seeing the difference we made in peoples’ lives and believing in achieving greater things as Rotaractors. It was one heartfelt and touching episode for each and every one of us at RACFOSUOC as we celebrated our 15th year of being chartered.
The second episode of Reminisce 2.0 was “A Night to Remember ”, which was held on the 14th of December at the Osmo Fitness Members Lounge. It was held as a gathering for the members from all the years of the club, to eliminate the disparities that had been built among members because of the virtual platforms and to reunite by getting to know the current, new and past members to build fellowship. It was certainly a night to remember, graced by the presence of those close to our hearts, and have made a significant difference in the 15 year journey of RACFOSUOC, fostering us to be what we are today. In addition, the event was also graced by the presence of several members from the District Steering Committee, including the DRRE Ahamed Hussain.
The main highlight of the event was the giving away of the appointment letters to the current Board of Directors by the current president Pramudi Rajamanthri, and the service letters to the past Board of Directors by IPP Adheeban Gowrishankar. The night was followed by speeches from the invited guests, the cutting of a celebratory cake, a walk down the memory lane for past Rotaractors as they shared their nostalgic memories of Rotaract with the new members, catching up with each other over a delightful dinner while building and renewing connections. The night ended with a DJ that jazzed up the dance floor and got everyone swaying to the vibrant music, adding more colour and energy to the night.
We were also able to obtain sponsorship from Red Bull, as they joined us as the energizing partner for the event. The night undoubtedly ended on a high note making it a “Night to Remember ” as everyone was found to be leaving with new and old but resurfaced memories, hearts filled with cheer and new friendships created.
Phase one gave the utmost satisfaction to the participants and the genuine happiness of contributing to helping the needy, while the second phase gave everyone the opportunity to mingle with members of all ages, and personally get to know those who are experienced in both their Rotaract journey as well as their academics.
Reminisce 2.0 was thus concluded leaving an indelible mark for the 15th Charter Day of the Rotaract Club of Faculty of Science, University of Colombo, as we succeeded in building up strong and everlasting connections and achieving another milestone for our club with an immense sense of pride and gratification in our hearts. All in all, the project added to a handful of exceptional and remarkable moments which blossomed into a collection of beautiful memories adding to the Rotaract diaries.
By Rtr. Oshadi Tennakoon
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