Kota Kinabalu: Kevin Lim Chang Hui will helm the Rotary Club of Kota Kinabalu(RCKK) for the new Rotary year of 2021-22. Kevin took over the post from Immediate Past President(IPP) P.M. Koshy as of July 1.
Kevin, who is the Executive Director and Head of the East Malaysia Commercial Banking OCBC Bank, said that he waited 16 years to be the president of RCKK. “This honour comes with enormous responsibilities and tasks, especially in this unprecedented and movement-controlled environment.
“I am confident that we would be able to move against all odds and continue to provide Service Above Self to the community in our 5 Service of Avenues and 7 Rotary Focus Areas, together with our close to 70 years existence and many experienced past presidents and supportive Board and members.”
Kevin also outlined the following key projects and activities, beginning with a Joint Sabah Rotary Clubs Avoidable Blindness project (through The Rotary Foundation Global Grant). This project will involve all the Rotary clubs in Sabah. Meanwhile, RCKK will also organize a Cure Cataract Campaign (since 2016) to create awareness and cataract operations benefiting B40 group.
Sometime in October, an Annual Joint Districts 3310/3300 Seeing Eye to Eye conference(SEEC) will be hosted by RCKK. Invitations have been sent to international and national Eye specialists who will present papers on certain eye diseases via zoom.
Kevin also said that RCKK will continue with the Kinabalu Birdwing Butterfly project (since 2018). This involves an environmental and eco-tourism project, headed by Rotarians Dr. Stephen Sutton and Paul Foranda, in the preservation of endangered species unique to mountain forest in Borneo and the potential of nature and eco-tourism to enhance livelihood of locals.
The Rotary Community Corp at Sapulut and Kg Kiau will be enhanced in Sabah in collaboration with the local communities to uplift their economic condition and quality of living.
RCKK will also continue the leadership and talent development of the youth, namely the interactors. They will be provided with the yearly Interact BOD training. If the pandemic situation improves, RCKK will organize the International Understanding Bazaar and Bakat Interact, which are very popular activities among schools with Interact clubs.
RCKK will be looking at organizing webinars on environmental conservation around Mount Kinabalu Parks, KK Wetland and Kinabalu Birdwing Butterfly.
Meanwhile, Kevin said that RCKK will continue with the Covid/ MCO food aid to the B40 group which it has been doing since the beginning of the pandemic.
Kevin provided his BOD list: Immediate Past President(IPP) P.M. Koshy, President-Elect Edward Tan, Vice-President George Taitim, Secretary Vector Tsen, Treasurer Thor Gervasi, Community Service Director Daniel Wong, Youth Service Director Captain Ong Kean Soon, International Service Director Ben Lo, Club Service Director Joshua Ho, Sergeant-at-Arms Mohd Iskandar, Club Administration Chair PP Patrick Chin, Membership Chair Datuk Vincent Pung, Rotary Foundation Chair PP Chiang Wei Chia, Youth Chair Danny Wong and Public Relations Chair Past District Governor Edward Sung Burongoh.
Meanwhile, IPP Koshy thanked his BOD and RCKK members for all their contributions during his year in office. According to Koshy, for food aids to the B40 families and frontliners as well as provisions of PPV and medical equipment to hospitals, together with sponsors and donors, RCKK has spent about RM314,000 since July 2020.
Several secondary schools in Kota Kinabalu also received food aids, in addition to a RM2000 bursary award for each school.
