ruling was presented during a district meeting on the subject of strengthening membership, clubs with less than 20 memberships are encouraged to merge and focus on building a strong membership base. It is a reality that for years it has been a struggle by clubs to achieve more than 20 active and committed members. This challenge was initially presented by PP Ann Margaret San Antonio to the body of
her club last April 7, 2011. There is a careful assessment of how things have changed through the years and there must be something they can do. The opportunity was offered by the Rotary Club of Manila 101 led by Global President Belle Chua to charter an innovative and flexible club. An innovative and flexible club is one of the four special pilot programs of Rotary International that supports member diversity. The Innovative and Flexible Rotary Club Pilot Program is focused on encouraging Rotary clubs to be fun, dynamic, diverse, resilient, tolerant interested in trying new things, and relationship rich. It is one of four new pilot programs approved by the RI Board in November 2010. The club can combine in-meetings and on-line meetings like the use of webinar which can be an interactive exchange of ideas usingtheWorldWideWeb. This appealed to a group of able,“techies”and mobile Rotarians who though to accepting the challenge to become a pro-active, service-centered and united in thoughts and in purpose members of Rotary. PP Ann then called for a meeting with her legacy classmate PP Badette Punzalan last April 8, 2011 at Blue Wave, Pasay City. She has noted all the concerns and the deadline to meet for this chartering. The next day, PP Badette called for an emergency meeting with her own club to discuss the desire of joining or merging 2 clubs together to form a stronger membership base. Maybe it just came with the right timing when members need to be rejuvenated by discarding negativities that has plagued the club for the past years, thus the need to accept the merging proposal. The charter paper application has to be signed and submitted by all members who willingly and voluntarily joined the new club which was named the Rotary Club of Manila Kalaw. The area which has to be in Manila was chosen because of its familiarity to most members, aside from it’s historical significance. Most members’ place of residency or businesses/workplace is practically around Manila. District Governor Tranquil upon careful consideration gave the responsibility of guiding the club to his DGSR. The District Governor’s Special Representative assigned was PDG Edgardo Tumangan who took the challenge of forming the club, and making sure it started its Rotary Service with conscientious guidance. Some twenty-five business and professional men and women were invited to be part of the club. A meeting chaired by Past President Ann Margaret San Antonio was held on Wednesday, April 12, 2011 at the Aloha Hotel in Roxas Blvd, Manila. All members invited to form the Rotary Club of Manila Kalaw were requested to be present. This meeting confirmed the establishment of the Rotary Club of Manila Kalaw and elected office bearers and chair of different committees. This first dinner meeting was attended by 15 members of the Provisional Rotary Club and 4 members of Rotary Club of Manila 101. Past District Governor Ed Tumangan was the guest of honor and speaker that night and he gave an inspiring talk on Rotary membership. Rotary Club of Manila 101 President Belle Chua blessed the club with a check payment for the chartering fee- a gift from the mother club. From then on the club members regularly meet to fellowship and know each other more thereby, improving camaraderie and better friendships among each other.
