Message from Club President Jim Burger

I am looking forward to leading The Rotary Club of Bonita Springs, as we will be celebrating our 45th anniversary later this year.  It is truly humbling to think about the positive impact that this club has had over the past 45 years. Not only has the community benefited but each member of the club has developed life-long friendships as well.

This coming Rotary year will be exciting, with a focus on continuing to build a vibrant club through fellowship, service, and community.  The Rotary theme for the year is to Create Hope in The World.  We will support this vision by first focusing on our local community as we continue to build back from the effects of Hurricane Ian.  There are still many people suffering: They need ongoing assistance from the community and from our club.  We will continue to financially support the community through our major fundraising efforts including: the Annual Christmas Tree and Poinsettia Sale, The Annual Boat Show and Nautical Market, EZ Cash Tickets and Reverse Raffle.

We will continue our hard work to support many efforts to improve the lives of those in our local community, as we have done in the past. Feeding the Needy by supporting Meals of Hope, Café of Life and FK Inc. Supporting the Youth of the Community by working with the YMCA, The Wonder Gardens, Literacy programs for school children and providing our high school students with scholarships.  Other Community Efforts Supported such as Wounded Warriors of Collier County, Ft Myers Beach Strong and the Bonita Springs Assistance Office.  Our club has also supported International Efforts through the Gift of Life and the Wheelchair Foundation.

One of the key elements of this year’s Create Hope in the World theme is to Focus on Mental Health. Not only are we continuing to feel the effects from Covid, we are also battling the ongoing impact Hurricane Ian had on people’s lives and support systems.  We will explore, through Rotary initiatives that are being put into place, how we can offer connections to mental health services to create a more resilient and healthy community.