The DeFuniak Springs Rotary Club is our official volunteer hosts of the 2010 Florida Chautauqua Assembly, and the Florida Chautauqua Center is grateful for their ongoing support of our annual program.  You will see their members taking tickets at doors and hosting various events throughout the Assembly under the direction of local Rotarian, Jennifer Pankow, who is also on the board of directors of the Florida Chautauqua Center.  Make sure you visit the International Marketplace exhibit at the Community Center in DeFuniak Springs during the assembly, which is fully orchestrated by this special group of people.  One of the major goals of Rotary Club International is to promote goodwill throughout the world, and it is fitting that Rotary is a part of this historic event in DeFuniak Springs as we take annual “journeys” into some part of the world or into a significant topic relevant to our times.   As we take a “Journey into the Caribbean” in 2010, please know that the DeFuniak Springs Rotary Club is actively involved in the Caribbean by supporting the Jamaican Project. 

The Jamaican Project is an initiative among a few Florida Rotary Clubs to improve the quality of education for children living in rural mountainous towns of Central Jamaica.  Rotary Club efforts have focused on school renovations with Rotary Members giving of their labor and time to school construction projects, purchasing building materials, installing school equipment, and providing disadvantaged Jamaican children with school clothing and shoes.   Working with the Jamaicans has proven to be a truly rewarding experience for the Rotarians.  Rotary members are privileged to witness the smiling faces of the Jamaican children taking pride in their newly renovated school and their new school shoes - a priceless experience.