Sunrise Rotary: Service to Community

By Coastal Breeze News Staff

Tuesday, November 3rd brought another bright and early weekly meeting of the Rotary Club of Marco Island Sunrise to Bistro Soleil.

“Member Obligations, Opportunities and Challenges” was the topic, presented by speaker Bob Thomas. Bob has been a Rotary Club member for about 55 years. In 2015 he was awarded Rotarian of the Year, the first club member to receive the honor twice.

Bob explained the mission of the Rotary Foundation, “to enable Rotarians to advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace

through the improvement of health, the support of education, and the alleviation of poverty.”

Internationally, Rotary’s project PolioPlus, dedicated to eradicating polio through vaccination, is one of the club’s first priorities.

Locally, the club has given back to the community in a number of ways. Recently they helped Marco Island Academy purchase desks through a Rotary district grant.

While describing the many local projects, Bob told fellow members to “witness the students that are here today.” That morning, among the Rotarians was a number of young

faces- all recipients of Rotary’s generosity to our local youth.

Elizabeth Clark, Jennifer Vergara and Nathalie Martinez, three of the Lely High School Color Guard, were present and thanked the Sunrise Rotary for purchasing them much needed new pom-poms. The girls presented the club with a picture of the color guard in uniform, happily holding their new pom-poms. Elizabeth, a senior, tells us that the pom-poms are “vital” to what they do, and says “thank you so much to the Rotary Club for supporting

us.”

The Rotary Club also provides scholarships to local high school students. Scholarship recipient Karla Haymon, daughter of Rotary Club member Patrick Haymon, was also present.

Other local organizations that the Rotary Club of Marco Island Sunrise supports include Meals of Hope, Habitat for Humanity, and many more.

Weekly meetings are on Tuesday mornings at 7:00 AM at the Bistro Soleil, 100 Palm Street, Marco Island. The guest fee for the breakfast meeting is $12. For more information about the Rotary Club of Marco Island Sunrise, go to their website at www.marcoislandsunriserotary.org.