Andrea Sweeney heads Downtown Kingston Rotarians

Keisha Shakespeare-Blackmore, Staff Reporter

Andrea Sweeney is the new president of the Rotary Club of downtown Kingston, making her the second female and the 30th president in the club's history.

Sweeney said she joined the organisation eight years ago because at the time she felt a great need to give back to society.

"Even though I was fulfilled in my own family life, I still felt a void in my life and I needed to do something to make a difference to less-fortunate persons," explained Sweeney.

Soon after, she was invited to a Rotary meeting; she became a member and got involved in fund-raising projects while holding several positions of leadership in the club. Her intention was just to be a good rotarian who follows the Rotary motto: 'Service above Self'. With her dedication and confidence her club members invested in her and she was appointed captain of the ship.

The new president said that though not involved in Rotary while in school, she sees the movement as an important developmental tool for the youth, and over the years she has been mentoring and staying involved with the school-based Rotaract and Interact clubs.

Aside from mentoring, she has a mandate as president to inspire and motivate club members who are volunteers, to obtain the support of other social clubs, corporate bodies and individuals in order to "Reach Within to Embrace Humanity".

She is planning many projects that will assist the less fortunate, both locally and internationally.

Among them are: promoting health; continuing the hosting of the cardiac-surgery missions; contributing to the procurement of a blood gas analyser which costs approximately US$62,000. The analyser is an essential machine to have in the paediatric cardiac-surgery unit at the Bustamante Hospital for Children.

Job

Sweeney is the chief operating officer of The Jamaica Livestock Association, a position she has held since her return to Jamaica in 2002. She is also married to Omar Sweeney, her childhood sweetheart, and together they have three children. With all the hats she wears, time management plays an important role in helping her handle her daily list of competing demands. But in order to be successful, it is important to have a good support system at work, home and even within the service organisation.

"It is also important for me to be disciplined and reliable. These principles, I believe, enable me to be successful in the things I have to do."

For fun, spending time with the family is important to her. She combines that with her favourite pastime, travelling.

"Whether in Jamaica or overseas, I love to travel, especially with my family. I find these trips to be the most enriching moments in life."

keisha.shakespeare@gleanerjm.com