ADAM PRESTON
CURRENT PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
Born and raised in London England I’m humbled and honored to become the President of The Rotary Club of Samui-Phangan as I enter my 20th year as a resident of Koh Samui.
We received our official Charter from Rotary International on the 14th September, 2018 and I have big shoes to fill as I am taking over from our Charter President Warunee Sarika who has competently and elegantly held the reigns for the past 4 years.
As a young club one of my goals is to encourage and welcome new members who share our vision of People of Action serving in Rotary to change lives. Our Rotary Club is quite unique in that none of our members (both Thai and foreigners) are born on these islands. We have joined The Rotary Club feeling privileged to call these islands our home and grateful for the opportunities that we have had in life. We want to give back to the community that has welcomed us here.
While the islands of Samui and Phangan are a paradise for tourists those of us who live here understand that life can be extremely difficult for local people. There are deficiencies in employment opportunities (especially since Covid-19), education (general and special needs), emergency health care facilities, hygiene and sanitation.
The past few “covid years” have created new challenges and unprecedented situations and I’m proud that our Rotary Club has been able to rise to the challenge by creating new projects and modifying existing ones so that we can meet the needs of the most vulnerable in our community.
As President, with the support of my fellow Rotarians and the strong brand image of Rotary behind us, I believe that we can continue to make a positive impact in a timely, focused and sustainable way. Our 5 signature projects are likely to remain with different degrees of emphasis. Swim4Life, Water4Life, Support4Autism, Food4Life and most recently Defibs4Samui.
If you would like put a smile on some people in the Land of Smiles: contact@rotarysamui-phangan.org
We received our official Charter from Rotary International on the 14th September, 2018 and I have big shoes to fill as I am taking over from our Charter President Warunee Sarika who has competently and elegantly held the reigns for the past 4 years.
As a young club one of my goals is to encourage and welcome new members who share our vision of People of Action serving in Rotary to change lives. Our Rotary Club is quite unique in that none of our members (both Thai and foreigners) are born on these islands. We have joined The Rotary Club feeling privileged to call these islands our home and grateful for the opportunities that we have had in life. We want to give back to the community that has welcomed us here.
While the islands of Samui and Phangan are a paradise for tourists those of us who live here understand that life can be extremely difficult for local people. There are deficiencies in employment opportunities (especially since Covid-19), education (general and special needs), emergency health care facilities, hygiene and sanitation.
The past few “covid years” have created new challenges and unprecedented situations and I’m proud that our Rotary Club has been able to rise to the challenge by creating new projects and modifying existing ones so that we can meet the needs of the most vulnerable in our community.
As President, with the support of my fellow Rotarians and the strong brand image of Rotary behind us, I believe that we can continue to make a positive impact in a timely, focused and sustainable way. Our 5 signature projects are likely to remain with different degrees of emphasis. Swim4Life, Water4Life, Support4Autism, Food4Life and most recently Defibs4Samui.
If you would like put a smile on some people in the Land of Smiles: contact@rotarysamui-phangan.org
Adam Preston
President
2022-2023
