Thank you to the Sponsors of the 5th Annual Lovers Key Boat Show, Market & Seafood Fest
WELCOME TO THE ROTARY CLUB OF BONITA SPRINGS!
The Rotary Club of Bonita Springs has been known for good works in the community, nationally and internationally for over 40 years. Formed by a group of young entrepreneurs and professionals in 1978, through their vision and guidance, the club has endeavored to champion many needs and challenges.
Our club members were on the front line during Hurricane Irma, saving homes and restoring lives. As I write this, while we suffer the effects of the pandemic, we are providing assistance to food pantries in the community with financial and hands on help. Additional assistance to the community is being provided through a financial grant from our Foundation.
We are supportive of our youth through yearly scholarships provided to local graduating seniors and exceptional college students. We sponsor Interact clubs at Estero and Bonita Springs High Schools and a local Rotaract Club based at Florida Gulf Coast University. We also provide every third grader with their own dictionary and kindergarteners with I Like Me books.
In our international space, we have provided many thousands of inoculations assisting Rotary’s End Polio Now campaign. Partnering with the Gates Foundation, Rotary has all but eradicated Polio worldwide.
We have saved the lives of numerous young children from third world countries who suffer from life threatening heart defects. Our Gift of Life program provides life saving corrective heart surgery at no cost to their families and allows the children to experience full healthy lives.
Partnering with the Wheelchair Foundation our club has provided hundreds of wheelchairs to those in need in the most impoverished countries. We have also participated in global grants providing clean water, schools, closed stoves and various other needs and services throughout the world.
We are known in the community for our Christmas Tree Sales, our Nautical Market Boat Show and Seafood Fest as well as the place to purchase the best Poinsettias in town.
To say I am proud to be a member of The Rotary Club of Bonita Springs is a huge understatement. I have experienced the satisfaction of good works, the smiles of healed children and the tears of grateful recipients of our efforts. I have also gained many enduring friendships and think of our club as an extension of my family.
I am humbled to have been chosen as this year’s President and will endeavor to help make this a productive, successful and above all enjoyable Rotary year.
Yours in Rotary Service,
Bob Lombardo
President
The Rotary Club of Bonita Springs meets every Wednesday for breakfast , fellowship and great speakers at 7:00 AM at the Bonita Bay Club.
If you are interested in joining our club, please contact our Membership Chairperson, Eileen Tasso eileentasso@gmail.com , (412) 508-4022.
Connect with us on Facebook
Our speaker at the Wednesday, July 15th Zoom meeting will be John Jenkins, Executive Director of the Bonita Springs Utility.
Bonita Springs Water System, Inc., a member-owned, not-for-profit utility, was established in 1969 by local residents to provide potable water service to a handful of homes. The franchise area now covers Bonita Springs, the southern part of the Village of Estero and a bit of Lee County and, since 1989, includes a wastewater system.
Our speaker on Wednesday was Theodore Brown is Professor Emeritus of Chemistry at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, and Founding Director Emeritus of the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Institute.
Ted is deeply concerned about the prospects of global warming. He spoke about the trends in hurricanes driven by warm water. Hurricanes with pinhole eyes that concentrate damage and slower moving storms that linger and dump copious rain.
He suggested that there are things we can do to mitigate the Red Tide. Keep the coastline as clean as possible, reduce nutrient levels flowing into the gulf, and clean up SWFL’s water systems, agriculture, septic, golf courses.
He also spoke about the challenges to our fresh water supplies in the future.
Ted writes regularly on this subject in a popular blog, scienceoracle.blogspot.com.
Sandy Hemstead and our Rotary Exchange Student, Natene Bwaya, joined to our Zoom meeting. Natene will be returning to Uganda later this month. She said, “This has been the greatest experience of my life.” Special thanks to Wayne and Sandy Hemstead who hosted Natene.
At our Wednesday Zoom meeting, Sergeant-at-arms Roger Brunswick announced that he will be leaving his rehab facility soon. He led the Pledge of Allegiance from his room at rehab. It’ll be great to have you back, Roger.
The Speaker for our Wednesday Zoom Meeting will be Theodore Brown Ph.D. Ted is Professor Emeritus of Chemistry at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, and Founding Director Emeritus of the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Institute. He graduated with a B.S. degree in Chemistry from the Illinois Institute of Technology in 1950, served three years on active duty in the U. S. Navy, then received his Ph.D. in Chemistry from Michigan State University in 1956.
Ted is deeply concerned about the prospects of global warming, and writes regularly on this subject in a popular blog, scienceoracle.blogspot.com.
At the Installation and Awards meeting Wednesday, Incoming President Bob Lombardo presented President Chris Riesen with gavel mounted on a plaque inscribed with “For Exemplary Leadership” that was suitable for wall hanging. The inscription was very appropriate and well deserved.
Incoming President Bob Lombardo described his becoming a Rotarian 11 years ago. He told us of four of his “Rotary” moments. They were his first club activity of selling beer at a Riverside Park function; a wheelchair delivery mission to Honduras; the Bonita Springs Players presentation of “It’s a Wonderful World”; and chairing the acquisition and installation of the Rotary Clock.
At the annual Awards and Installation meeting Wednesday, President Chris Riesen presented the following awards:
Rotary International President
Holger Knaack, Rotary Club of Herzogtum
Lauenburg-Mölln, Germany
District 6960 Governor
Darryl Keys, Charlotte Harbor Sunset RC
Area 2 Assistant Governor
The Rotary Club of Bonita Springs
2020-2021 Club Officers
President: Bob Lombardo
President-Elect: Kae Moore
Secretary: Eileen Tasso
Treasurer: John Flammang
Sergeant-at-Arms: Roger Brunswick
Asst. Sgt-at-Arms: Adam Botana
Members of the Board
Chris Riesen, Bob Lombardo, Kae Moore, Eileen Tasso, John Flammang
2018-2021
Adam Botana, Len Eckert, Donna Flammang
2019-2022
Brad Piotrowski, Mary Saunders, Jon Shaw
2020-2023
Rick Barber, Rob Cooper, Paul Messino
Trustees of The Foundation
Stephanie Kissinger, President
Ray Faubion, Secretary
Mark McCaw, Treasurer
Claudie Delgado, Gary Price, Nancy Ross, Rex Sims, Steven Slachta, Trustees
Calendar
Members: Please read important message from President Chris.
7/8 – John Jenkins, Executive Director,
Bonita Springs Utility
7/15 – Speaker from Golisano Childrens Hospital. Topic will be Kids Minds Matter.
7/22 – Bonnie Whittemore, President, Bonita
Springs Historical Society
7/29 – To be filled
Birthdays
Frank Mazzeo July 10
The 4-Way Test
- Is it the TRUTH?
- Is it FAIR to all concerned?
- Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?
- Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?
EZ Cash
February winning numbers:
-
$500 Winner ~ #0131 David G
-
$250 Winner~ #0077 Tom B
-
$100 Winner~ #0662 Juan T