ASB'S DIRECTOR ELECTED PRESIDENT OF ROTARY CLUB OF VADHANA

Heartiest Congratulations to Mrs. Lakhana Tavedikul!

ASB's Director, Mrs. Lakhana Tavedikul has been elected as the President of the Rotary Club of Vadhana District, Bangkok, Thailand. The organization is involved with charitable events and reaching out to those in need.

The Presidentship Inaugural Ceremony was held on Sunday, July 6th 2003, and was attended by more than 300 guests - Rotarian members, Guests of Honors, ASB faculty & parents.

To mark the special occasion, ASB students presented an extravangant performance - the glimpses of the Broadway Presentation - "The Abba Medley" --- the musical mystique "Mama Mia"….

The evening was an enjoyable one..

Click here for Mrs. Lakhana's inaugural speech - "THE UNFINISHED MISSIONS"

Glimpses of the event

"THE UNFINISHED MISSIONS"

AN INAUGURAL ADDRESS

BY

MRS. LAKHANA DIDYASARIN TAVEDIKUL

PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE ROTARY CLUB OF VAHDANA

6 JULY 2003

Your Excellency Deputy Prime Minister and Former President of RotaryInternational,
Mr. District Governor,
President Prakob,
Fellow Rotarians,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen:

We are gathered here tonight to witness the transition from one administration to another. I am greatly honored to be the person to accept the torch. I did not expect it as I am a relatively newcomer in this field. But since it was your decision, I shall do my best to see that you will not be disappointed by that decision.

Before I go any further, on behalf of fellow Rotarians at Vadhana, I would like to thank my predecessor, President Prakob, for all the fine works and services that he has rendered for our club during his Presidency of 2545-2546. His footsteps are indeed tough ones to follow.

I accepted the Presidency of the Rotary Club of Vadhana with pride and humility. Pride in the fact of the confidence that you have in me; humility in the face of the huge and noble missions that lie ahead. As the name Vadhana itself suggests, we are here to bring about progress and prosperity. Progress and prosperity not only for ourselves fellow Rotarians, but progress and prosperity for our own community and all of the communities not only here in Thailand but around the world.

In the 98 years since our forefathers brought into existence the concept of Rotary, nothing has changed much. It all boils down to the three simple words: "Service Above Self". Though the times have changed, and while the philosophy remains the same, new programs have been added yearly in many clubs around the world. All of them are aimed at promoting world fellowship and international understanding, and I can see that some of these programs have changed lives and contributed to peace and harmony among nations.

But as Paul Harris had said: "This is a changing world and we must be prepared to change with it." How very true, indeed.

We know that to endure-and to grow further-we would have to change.

Not change for change's sake, but change to preserve the Rotary's ideals: good will to mankind, action for the good of all, and lasting peace to humanity. While the themes may have changed with the changing of the guards at the top, the missions for all Rotarians in every part of the world have become increasingly more difficult. We still see wars, hatred. poverty, diseases, and hunger in many parts of the world. Though we march to the music of our time, our missions are timeless. Each rotary club must define for itself what its missions are and how to pursue them.

For us here in Vadhana, I strongly believe that we must a build a club that will shape a community that believes in tomorrow, not yesterday.

The members of the Rotary Club of Vadhana have the imaginations, the resources, and the determination to make all this happen.

While the "Seeds of Love" may have been well sown among us all, we still cannot "Lend A Hand" to others when we are still not strong enough ourselves.

I would like to propose, in this regard, that we pause for a second to think about what we can do for each other first. We are all business people, and you know that the wealth of a nation is created through private initiatives such as ours, not through government spending, which is for all practical purposes our tax money to begin with but for which we get no credit.

Obviously I do not want to get into politics. But obviously we must see to it how our actions between ourselves and among members of the other rotary clubs, can blend and enhance the businesses in which we are engaged.

All of our meetings should be oriented towards this purpose. It is a priority. We are not here to eat and socialize, though that function remains very much a part of the effort to foster a spirit of friendship and cooperation. We are not here to listen to speeches or lectures, which we will find to be of lttle use to the honing our skills to benefit our professional enterprises. We will be seeking the practical: the way to do things right in our respective businesses. If we can do things right, then we can proceed to do some other things, which are bigger and in accordance with our missions. And then we can truly "Lend A Hand."

Meanwhile, we will not be neglecting the services to our community when we can render them right now. There is so much to be done here, to make Vadhana what it really is: progress and prosperity. It is too long a detail to be discussed here. But we will be discussing the opportunities at our regular, weekly meetings.

And lastly, and no doubt most importantly, it is my cherished dream that the Rotary Club of Vadhana should honor our beloved Father of the Land when he reaches the age of 75. Thailand would not be where it is today if His Majesty had not been in our midst. He has done so much for our country. It is time to pay homage to his contribution and selflessness and demonstrate our profound gratitude and appreciation to His Majesty in a way that would never before have been imagined.

Please ask yourselves: "If not us Rotarians, who? If not now, when?

I have a plan that ordinary people like us can do more things than what those in authority can do, and we will do it right also in the best manner possible. So please get ready for this. It is "A Chance In A Lifetime."

And with that I will end with those simple three words: "Service Above Self."

In accepting this responsibility as your President for Thai Year 2003-2004, this is what I will ask of you as you will ask of me:

"Ask not what you can do for yourselves, ask what you can do for others."

Thank you.