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The Lakeland Rotary Club was founded in 1918, the sixth club in Florida. For the past 105 years, this club has served this community and others throughout the world in need; growing to its current membership of over 180 members, one of the largest in the state. The Lakeland Rotary Club has a proud tradition and a continuing commitment to “Service above Self”.

Rotary is the oldest service organization in the world; an institution begun in 1905 by Paul Harris and three other businessmen in Chicago. Today, Rotarians number 1.2 million members in 34,000 clubs in more than 200 countries.

Service Opportunities

Club Committees

Fellowship & Fun

Upcoming Events

All meetings are in Central Time.

Please visit our Calendar page to see all upcoming events.

Lakeland Weekly Club Meeting
Speaker: Emily Rogers
Topic: Legacy Leadership
February 25th 2025 at 12:00 pm
More info

Lakeland Weekly Club Meeting
Speaker: Nate Jaeger
Topic: Lakeland Professional Pickleball Team
March 4th 2025 at 12:00 pm
More info

SPRING OBSESSION
Topic: “Lakeland’s Premier Garden Event” 60+ vendors: specialty plants, orchids, food, music, and more! Supporting Partners In Education - specifically Southwest Elementary & Southwest Middle Schools.
March 8th 2025 at 8:00 am
More info

Lakeland Weekly Club Meeting
Speaker: Robert Schaefer, American Freedom Distillery
Topic: The Origin of Horse Soldier Bourbon
March 11th 2025 at 12:00 pm
More info

The Lakeland Rotary Club Board of Directors Meeting
Topic: The Lakeland Rotary Club Board of Directors Monthly Meeting All club officers, leaders, and members are invited to attend at 5:15 pm Central Florida Speech and Hearing Center Conference Room 3020 Lakeland Highlands Road Lakeland FL 33803
March 11th 2025 at 5:15 pm
More info

Lakeland Weekly Club Meeting
Speaker: SCOTT DUDLEY
Topic: LEAGUE OF CITIES OVERVIEW
March 18th 2025 at 12:00 pm
More info

Newsletter

Weekly Meeting, July 30, 2024

By Jennifer L Douglas

President Marsha Leap called the meeting to order. Blair Allen led the Invocation, Pledge of Allegiance and Four-way Test.

Mike Huff introduced the visiting Rotarians and guests, and Larry Rankin collected Happy Dollars.

Several announcements were made. Reba Coil invited the membership to attend the “Back to School Bash”, which will be held at Spring Hill Suites on August 20^th. Donations of school supplies will also be accepted for our 2 partnering schools.

Jason Wyatt reminded everyone that registration for The 7^th Annual Lakeland Rotary Golf Championship is now open, and sponsorships are needed. The event will be held October 4th at The Club at Eaglebrooke. Proceeds from the event will benefit The Flight to Honor Polk County Mission #10, Deploying April 29, 2025. Visit http://lakelandrotarygolf.com to register and learn more.

President Marsha announced a last call to join the tour of Rotary International headquarters in Chicago. The tour will be held August 30^th. If interested, reach out to Marsha for information. Also, Save the Date for “Pints for Polio”, a 4-club Rotary event that will be held on World Polio Day, October 24^th, starting at 5:30 pm at Swan Brewing in downtown Lakeland. Swan Brewing will donate a portion of their proceeds to the cause.If you are still in need of a headshot to feature on DACdb, Bill Sammons will be available before next week’s meeting. The Rotary Twilight 5k benefiting Common Ground Playground is looking for sponsors. If you can help, contact Vince Jones or visit https://rotarytwilight5k.com/.

Linda Bagley Wiggs introduced this week’s speaker, Jim Edwards, Senior Advisor for Saunders Ralston Dantzler and former Executive Director of the Lakeland Downtown Development Authority and Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA). His presentation focused on redevelopment efforts for Lakeland’s downtown since the 1950s.

Highlights include:

1958 - 1962

Major efforts were made to relocate the railroad depot to an industrial area outside of downtown.
One-way streets and metered parking were added.
Munn Park was redesigned. The centerpiece was a new fountain called “Waltzing Waters” that danced and lit up to music.

1968 – 1972

Moss Bros. and JCPenney built large department stores downtown.
The City of Lakeland built a 700-space parking garage.

1977 – 1979

The city passed the Lakeland Downtown Development Authority Act as a funding tool for area redevelopment. It is known today as the Community Redevelopment Agency or CRA.
Historic Lakeland was established to take advantage of a 20% Federal Tax Credit on redevelopment efforts for historic structures.

1980 – 1985

Munn Park was restored to its original 1920’s design.
Sidewalks were widened and attractive street lighting installed.
Lakeland Electric’s offices were relocated downtown.
Historic Lakeland led restoration efforts for the Lake Mirror Promenade and Amphitheater.
The Mark Hollis Foundation granted funds to care for a world-class garden in perpetuity.
Moss Bros. and JCPenney donated their buildings to the CRA. They are now occupied by Publix.

For a visual of Lakeland’s historical redevelopment, you can watch “Project Downtown”, a 15-minute documentary filmed in 1960 on YouTube.

As a token of our club’s gratitude, President Marsha presented Jim with a Rotary Honor Coin and journal. She concluded the meeting with a final announcement. Members of The Lakeland Rotary Club are invited to travel to Ghana for the 2024 Rotary West Africa Project Fair and Family Health Days Program. The trip will take place from October 29^th – November 5^th and will include service at a one-day health camp, immunizations of children, project visits and more. For more information, contact Irma Cole or visit www.howardtours.net .