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Pago Pago, American Samoa — The regular Friday meeting of the Rotary Club of Pago Pago on May 5th, 2023, was anything but ordinary. The event was attended by Rotarians, Rotaract members, and guests gathered to hear the presentation of visiting District Governor Allan Smith and Sue Smith.
During his address, Smith spoke at length about his role in supporting Rotary Clubs in District 9920, which includes large portions of Auckland and the Pacific islands such as Samoa, American Samoa, Vanuatu, Kiribati, Fiji, Tonga, and the Cook Islands. He congratulated the Rotary Club of Pago Pago for being a beacon for other community servants in the district and offered advice on keeping the club healthy and growing.
Sue Smith also presented on her work as the Operations Manager for Rotary Oceania Medical Aid for Children (ROMAC). The organization provides life-giving and dignity-restoring surgical treatment for children from developing countries in the Pacific region.
The Smith's full presentation and slide deck are available for download here.
Petala Fanene and Elena Logologo were also in attendance, representing the American Samoa Government's Department of Education. The pair, in their capacity as leaders in the Early Childhood Education program (also known as Head Start), received a donation of 70 sets of educational books along with English and Samoan flashcards for 3 & 4-year-old students.
In her address to the club, Fanene thanked the Rotary Club for its devotion to education, stating, "On behalf of Assistant Director Milaneta Tinitali, we accept this generous donation with hearts full of gratitude for our continued partnership with the Rotary Club's Read Aloud Program. Today's donation of reading books will greatly bless the young readers of the island. These books are an excellent addition to our growing collection of reading books for our reading areas in our ECE centers. To quote Garrison Keillor - A book is a gift you can open again and again."
The Rotary Club of Pago Pago also unveiled its new website (www.rotary.as) during the meeting. District Governor Allan Smith was invited to ceremonially push the button to activate the site. Project lead Rotarian Pauga Joey Cummings explained, "For some time, the club has needed an updated site primarily as a portal for accepting online donations but also to memorialize the good work we do year after year. Thanks to all the members who have submitted information and photographs. I'm also grateful to Rotarian Chris Brown for organizing the rotary.as domain name."
District Governor Allan Smith closed the formal portion of the meeting by awarding three Paul Harris Fellows to Club President Katrina Mariner, Past President Agnes Polu, and Area Governor Frank Barron. The Paul Harris Fellow recognition is a coveted award named for Rotary's founder that recognizes excellence in community service work.
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