“To be the vice president is to be the Jack-of-all-traits of COSDU’s committee.”
–Sr. Theresa, International Chaplain (2002-2007)
This certainly does not mean that the vice president has to own a huge stash of ‘abilities’ stored in his or her mind like the RPG games we play in our PC and PS. It simply means that the vice president has the privilege to contribute to COSDU in very diverse ways. Naturally, this revolves around liaising with other committee members and whenever possible, assisting them in their respective ministries.
To me, being a vice president is just that. Despite the fact that all the other ministries have their own distinct role in ensuring the smooth running of COSDU, and that the vice president’s role is often limited to accomplishing subtle tasks, I always find being the vice president of COSDU very self-fulfilling.
Here are some of the things that I did which the incoming VP can consider exploring-
Keeping and updating COSDU’s inventory and making sure that all COSDU’s belongings, when possible, are kept in the allocated cupboard of chaplaincy’s utility room. I also communicated with the session’s coordinator about the list of items needed for each session and strived to ensure that the items were prepared and available on time for the weekly sessions (this is one of the customary roles of the VP).
The incoming VP can also consider conducting one or two sessions for the community. Last year, I conducted a session on ‘Apologetics’. This could not have been possible without the support, understanding, and encouragement of my fellow committee members and the accommodating COSDU community. Hopefully the session served its purpose in stirring our will in protecting and justifying our faith as well as in encouraging us to learn more of our own faith.
In addition, I was in charged of finding an appropriate company for the printing of COSDU’s latest T-shirts and was kindly assisted by my fellow committee members, Jess and Janan. The task of finding an appropriate design for COSDU’s t-shirt was not easy. The committee members brainstormed several designs but finally decided to let the community themselves contribute in designing their own COSDU t-shirt. After asking around, our very own COSDU members, Clara and Nicholas, kindly agreed to design the t-shirt prints, which are what we see in our new COSDU t-shirts today.
Another customary role of the VP is to undertake a short course on ‘Food and Safety Handling’ and obtain the certificate required to permit COSDUANS to prepare their own food during events or sessions. This indirectly enables COSDU to receive various grants for the food bought.
Of course, being the vice president has its own ups and downs. For me, not having a substantial and set in stone role can sometimes make me feel dubious in relations to the extent of my contributions to COSDU. However, I personally believe that the little things that we do on our part can go a long, long way in making the world a better place to live in, or in this case, making COSDU a place where we can grow and nourish our thirsting souls - a true ‘home away from home’.
For my fellow committee members (you know who you are), I KNOW I’ve told you this and that this is going to be redundant but it’s good to cement it onto the blog so that whenever you feel unloved, just visit the blog and read this (laugh)…Thanks, thanks, and thanks so much for all we've been through, and for taking the first steps as COSDU’s committee members together with me. You were all there with me for my first experience as a COSDU committee member. I really enjoy each and every one of your company. Oftentimes, I find myself musing the silly and unique things about each one of us, and every so often, I find myself chuckling in response to those fascinating recollections. I hold every one so of you dear to me. So, too bad guys, guess you'll have to hang around in my mind for the rest of my life, haha ;D Thanks for being part of my life, you are truly my blessings.
To the incoming officer, I am here for you if you need me. Do your best in all you do and I’m sure you’ll do just fine as COSDU’s VP =) Cheers and God bless to all!
Love,
Anastasia
No comments:
Post a Comment