The Monthly Gathering of the Rotaract Club of University of Sri Jayewardenepura for the month of October was held on the 28th of October 2022 from 6.00 pm onwards via the Zoom platform. Rtr. Sandunika Samandini and Rtr. Anujini Perera, the Co-directors of the International Service Avenue; Rtr. Damindu Lakshan and Rtr. Venuri Mettananda, the Co-directors of the Professional Development Avenue, organized the gathering for the month of Halloween.

Rtr. Rishma Deen started the meeting by welcoming all those present, along with the spooky reminder that “Halloween is not only about putting on a costume, but it’s about finding the imagination and costume within ourselves.” Following the Rotaract formalities, Rtr. Madushan Dananjaya, the President of the club, addressed the gathering. He invited all members to actively participate in the future projects of the club to create unforgettable memories and spoke about the club activities.

He then invited the special guest for the evening to address the gathering. Miss Tahanee Harris, Assistant Manager, Talent and Employer Branding, Unilever Sri Lanka, took the stage to introduce the Unilever Challenge 2022, an annual business case competition to all our enthusiastic Rotaractors and spoke of the opportunities given by UNILEVER.

The secretary, Rtr. Gagani Gunasinghe, then read out the meeting minutes, and the minutes were proposed in order by Rtr. Piumi Methma and seconded by Rtr. Venuri Mettananda. Consequently, the directors of the respective avenues presented their avenue updates.

Next came the most magical part of the evening. The ‘Guess the answer’ game was based on Halloween. It was surprising to see our very own Rotaractors know almost all the answers despite Halloween not being a popular celebration in our country. The winner of the game was announced subsequently, and the members were praised for their active participation.

Afterwards, the nominees for the ‘Rotaractor of the Month-September’ were announced. Rtr. Dishan Jagodaarachchi from the Finance Committee, Rtr. Ashintha De Alwis from Environmental Service Avenue, and Rtr. Agana Dassanayake from Community Service Avenue were named as nominees for the ‘Rotaractor of the Month’. Rtr. Gagani Gunasinghe, the club Secretary, declared the ‘Rotaractor of the Month-September’ as Rtr. Ashintha De Alwis, and was congratulated by everyone for his remarkable achievement.

Not only that, another exciting announcement was coming along our way. The ‘Avenue of the Quarter’ for the 1st quarter of the Rotary International Year 2022–23 was yet to be revealed. Rtr. Gagani announced the ‘Avenue of the Quarter’ as none other than Professional Development Avenue. A hearty congratulations to the directors and members of Professional Development Avenue for this well-deserved achievement.

The meeting was successfully concluded, bagging tons of memories and a little bit of magic!

Written by: Rtr. Anujini Perera

Graphic design by: Rtr. Malithi Fernando