Weekly Meeting, January 14, 2025
President Marsha Leap called the meeting to order. Ron Denney led the Invocation, Pledge and Four-way test and so opened the meeting. Trey Harden introduced the guests, and Jennifer Douglas collected Happy Dollars. Announcements On January 25th, there will be a service opportunity at One More Child from 9:00 to 11:00am at their warehouse, located at 1015...
President Marsha Leap called the meeting to order. Ron Denney led the Invocation, Pledge and Four-way test and so opened the meeting. Trey Harden introduced the guests, and Jennifer Douglas collected Happy Dollars.
Announcements
On January 25th, there will be a service opportunity at One More Child from 9:00 to 11:00am at their warehouse, located at 1015 Sikes Blvd. in Lakeland. Volunteers will be packaging meals for families in need.
The 21st Annual Twilight 5K will be held February 7th at 7:00pm around beautiful Lake Hollingsworth. Runners and walkers are welcome! The cost to register is $40 for adults 19 and over, and $25 for youth and teens, ages 18 and under. Proceeds from the run benefit Common Grounds Park. Register today!
Rotary District 5280 has established a Wildfire Disaster Relief Fund to assist victims with resources and collaborative support in the ways of meals, water, blankets, etc. To learn more about these efforts or to make a contribution, visit rotary5280.org.
Captain Billy Strickland provided a warm introduction for fellow Rotarian and the meeting's guest speaker, Sheriff Grady Judd. Grady began his career at the Polk County Sheriff's Office in 1972 as a dispatcher. After transferring to the Patrol Division in 1974, he quickly progressed through the ranks – holding every rank from Sergeant to Colonel. He was elected Sheriff in 2004 and is serving his sixth term in office.
Sheriff Judd opened his presentation with an overview of our area's population surge. Currently, Polk County is the fastest growing county in Florida and the 4th fastest growing county in the United States. With a projected population of 1 million people by 2035, the Sheriff's department is expanding to meet the area's growing safety concerns. Plans are well underway to add a 6th district station in the northeast quadrant of the county, which will be known as The Ridge District at Poinciana. A groundbreaking for the new facility took place in 2022, and they are currently hiring for the district.
Another quickly rising concern for the department is Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its potential for criminal misuse. In an effort to get ahead of the criminals, Sheriff Judd reached out to the supervisor of AI at Florida Polytechnic University. They are putting a lab together to identify new ways of fighting cyber crime and to recommend new laws that may be needed to protect citizens from misuse of AI technologies. This is a unique program for law enforcement agencies and one that is likely to be replicated in other areas.
If you are interested in learning more about the potential dangers of AI, Sheriff Judd recommends watching this interview with the "Godfather of AI", British scientist Geoffrey Hinton, on 60 Minutes. It's an eye-opening introduction to the very real vulnerabilities we face ahead as computers quickly surpass humanity as the most intelligent entity on earth.
President Marsha closed the meeting by thanking Sheriff Judd and presented him with The Lakeland Rotary Club honor coin and journal. She reminded members that January is designated as Vocational Service Month by Rotary International. As such, she asked that everyone verify their occupation in DACdb, so we can begin using the platform as a reference for doing business with our fellow Rotarians.
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Weekly Meeting, October 22, 2024
Past President Bryce Philpot called the meeting to order. Karen Warren led the Invocation, Pledge of Allegiance, Four-Way Test and Patriotic Song and so opened the meeting. Stephanie Colon introduced guests and visiting Rotarians, and Larry Rankin collected Happy Dollars. Announcements Be sure to register for this year's District Rotary Foundation Gala on November 19th at Bonnet...
Past President Bryce Philpot called the meeting to order. Karen Warren led the Invocation, Pledge of Allegiance, Four-Way Test and Patriotic Song and so opened the meeting. Stephanie Colon introduced guests and visiting Rotarians, and Larry Rankin collected Happy Dollars.
Announcements
- Be sure to register for this year's District Rotary Foundation Gala on November 19th at Bonnet Springs Park Event Center in Lakeland. Registration and cash bar will open at 6:30 pm, and dinner will be served at 7:00 pm. Attire is business formal (black tie optional), and the cost is $75 per person. You can RSVP on IGNITE or on the DACdb Calendar.
- Tamara Roberts will be hosting the club's next fellowship event at Tienda Studio on November 14th from 5:30 to 7:30pm. Create unique, custom candles with your fellow Rotarians! Complimentary charcuterie and beverages will be provided. Register at bit.ly/rotarycandleclass.
In honor of World Polio Day on October 24th, Irma Cole and Mark Scolnick provided an update on the disease and Rotary's efforts to eradicate it worldwide.
Poliomyelitis, commonly referred to as Poliovirus, is a highly infectious disease that most commonly affects children under the age of 5. The virus is spread from person to person, typically through contaminated water. It can attack the nervous system, and in some instances, lead to paralysis. Although there is no cure, there is a safe and effective vaccine – one which Rotary and its partners have used to immunize over 2.5 billion children worldwide.
Rotary International's involvement in the fight against Polio started in 1979 when the organization partnered with the Philippine government on a multi-year effort to vaccinate 6 million children throughout the country. The success of that program led to the establishment of PolioPlus in 1985 and the Global Polio Eradication Initiative in 1988. Through decades of commitment and strategic partnerships with UNICEF, the Centers for Disease Control, the World Health Organization and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, cases of Poliovirus have been reduced worldwide by 99.9%. Only two countries remain endemic, Pakistan and Afghanistan.
The Lakeland Rotary Club has always generously supported the PolioPlus campaign. In its first year, the club raised $125,000 in support of the initiative and continues to lead the district in annual contributions.
If you are interested in learning more, the Rotary Learning Center has launched a new course, The Importance of Eradicating Polio, which you can access by logging into Rotary.org and following this link.
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Weekly Meeting, October 15, 2024
Past President Bryce Philpot called the meeting to order. Irma Cole led the Invocation, Pledge, Four-way Test and Patriotic Song and so opened the meeting. Julie Townsend introduced the guests and visiting Rotarians, and Scott LaRonde introduced Happy Dollars. As a first order of business, Bryce inducted new member, Tammy Butler into the club,...
Past President Bryce Philpot called the meeting to order. Irma Cole led the Invocation, Pledge, Four-way Test and Patriotic Song and so opened the meeting. Julie Townsend introduced the guests and visiting Rotarians, and Scott LaRonde introduced Happy Dollars.As a first order of business, Bryce inducted new member, Tammy Butler into the club, and Beth Hesseltine presented her with her red badge. Tammy is the Senior Engagement Officer at Southeastern University and has enjoyed a long career in coaching and philanthropy. Tammy's membership is sponsored by Stephen Moore.
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After Tammy's induction, Jason Wyatt offered a recap of the Lakeland Rotary Club's Golf Championship, held on October 4th at Eaglebrooke. He offered a warm note of thanks to everyone who served on the committee, all of the many volunteers, and the club membership for its generous support. Final numbers are still being tallied, but Jason is confident that revenues will meet last years, if not exceed them. Proceeds from the event will be donated to the Polk County Veteran's Council's Flight to Honor Mission #10, which will be held at Sun N' Fun in April 2025.
Announcements
- On Monday, October 21st Mayor Bill Mutz presented members of the four Lakeland Rotary clubs with a proclamation for World Polio Day. Members from each club were in attendance to celebrate the honor.
- In honor of World Polio Day, Pints to End Polio will be held at Swan Brewing (115 W Pine St. in Lakeland) this Thursday, October 24th, starting at 5:30pm. This is a 4-club event, and a portion of the proceeds will be donated to End Polio Now.
- October's service project will be held this Saturday at One More Child's warehouse, located at 1015 Sikes Blvd. in Lakeland from 9-11am. Volunteers will be packaging meals for families in need.
Kim Brunson offered a warm introduction for the guest speaker, Brian West. Brian is a Community Relations Manager for Publix Super Markets, Inc. and has served on several boards in Hillsborough and Polk Counties. He is currently the Associate Director of the Florida Strawberry Festival, a board member of the East Hillsborough Law Enforcement Appreciation Association and a Past President of the Dick Pope/Polk County Chapter of the Florida Public Relations Association.
Brian offered an update on Publix's recent growth. As of October 8th, the company supports 1,381 stores in 8 states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and as of January 2024 - Kentucky. The grand opening of their first store in Kentucky was very successful, surpassing all exceptions, and 11 additional sites have been selected throughout the state for future stores.
The past few weeks have been very challenging with many stores affected by Hurricanes Helene and Milton. Their bakery warehouse in Lakeland experienced 3ft high flood waters, but thankfully, their store in Ashville, NC sustained minimal damage, and they are currently one of the few stores in the area able to provide critical supplies to the struggling community. To assist in the crisis throughout the Southeastern US, the company has shifted many of their products to food banks with additional donations to help feed first responders.
Brian also discussed the recent rebuild of its Oakbridge location and its current tear down and rebuild at the Lake Miriam plaza, which is scheduled for completion in late 2025. The Oakbridge store is one of their largest projects to date and followed a new prototype that incorporated new innovations tested in its Greenwise stores.
In addition to its supermarkets, Publix is undergoing a large renovation of its IT buildings in downtown Lakeland. Housed in the former Maas Bros. and JCPenney department stores, Publix is upgrading the buildings to better support the growing technology needs of the company.
Following a brief Q&A, Past President Bryce thanked Brian for his presentation and presented him with a Lakeland Rotary Club journal and honor coin in gratitude for his time and efforts.
