On Sunday, July 5, 2026, the Rotary Club of Antigua Sundown gathered at the Ali Baba venue to formally launch its new annual cycle of community service during its annual leadership handover ceremony for 2026. The gathering brought together a diverse cross-section of attendees, including current club members, invited dignitaries, local community partners, corporate sponsors, and long-time supporters of the organization. The event served two core purposes: celebrating the meaningful progress and completed projects from the 2025–2026 term, and officially installing the club’s new leadership team to guide the coming year’s work.
Outgoing club president Nicole Stevens opened the formal portion of the ceremony, opening with a retrospective look at the past year’s milestones, challenges overcome, and impact delivered to local communities across Antigua and Barbuda. Following her remarks, Stevens formally transferred the presidential authority to Athlyn Davis, who will steer the organization through the 2026–2027 Rotary year. Davis’ administration will operate under the global Rotary theme “Create Lasting Impact”, a framework that will shape all of the club’s upcoming community initiatives.
Alongside the presidential handover, all incoming members of the club’s board of directors received their official ceremonial pins, marking the formal start of their terms and a new year dedicated to volunteer service, peer fellowship, and collaborative community engagement. One of the most anticipated highlights of the afternoon’s agenda was the official induction and pinning of Kara Warner, the club’s newest full member, who received a warm welcome from the entire Antigua Sundown Rotary family. In a special recognition, well-known local DJ NEZ was named an Honorary Rotarian, honoring his consistent, valuable contributions and support to the club’s work over the past year.
The ceremony also honored past club president Khari Lewis with one of Rotary International’s most prestigious distinctions: induction as a Paul Harris Fellow. This award, one of the organization’s most respected global honors, is granted to individuals who demonstrate extraordinary commitment to Rotary’s core mission of humanitarian aid and volunteer service. To close out the recognition portion of the event, the club distributed formal Certificates of Appreciation to dozens of local organizations and individual donors whose ongoing backing made the 2025–2026 year’s projects possible. Recognized partners included Shell Beach Restaurant & Bar, The Royal Police Force Band of Antigua and Barbuda, Frank B. Armstrong, ACB Caribbean, Takumi Media, Kayinks, Yao, Tropic Wear, and Chaso Media, among others.
The handover ceremony itself was made possible by additional in-kind donations of prizes and gifts from a wide range of local businesses, including Adventure Antigua, Tropical Adventures, Exotic Antigua, Trade Winds, Land Antigua, Ali Baba, Sunseakers, Townhouse Furnishing, Sherree’s Orchids, Lipstick, and Cork & Basket. Looking ahead to the 2026–2027 term, the Rotary Club of Antigua Sundown has already laid out a full slate of annual community initiatives focused on improving quality of life across the islands. Key projects include ongoing support for the local Paediatric Village, the annual Autism Walk awareness and fundraising event, back-to-school supply distribution for low-income students, and a range of additional programs targeting public health, educational access, youth development, and cross-community outreach.
Club leadership emphasized that with the continued partnership of local businesses, community groups, and individual donors, the organization remains fully committed to delivering measurable, meaningful, and long-lasting positive change for communities across Antigua and Barbuda in the coming year.