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. 
 

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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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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. 

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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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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. 



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. 

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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. 

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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. 

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President Marcia called the meeting to order. Scott LaRonde opened the meeting with the Invocation and led the membership with the Pledge of Allegiance, Four-Way Test and patriotic song. Kim Brunson introduced the guests and visiting Rotarians, and Bill Lippy collected Happy Dollars.

Annoucements



Mark Skolnick provided an update on Polio in Gaza. With a confirmed case of Polio in the region, the World Health Organization (WHO) considers Gaza to be at high risk for spread of the disease. As such, a two-round polio vaccination campaign was launched in Gaza on September 1st. To date, 1.6 million doses have been given, but 640,000 children still need to be vaccinated. Rotary is committing $500,000 to bolster the initiative, channeling these funds through a dedicated Polio Outbreak Response Fund. This contribution represents Rotary's sustained support to the WHO in combating polio globally. Financial contributions to PolioPlus fund will help Rotary and its Global Polio Eradication Initiative partners achieve a world in which no child is paralyzed by polio again.

The Lakeland Rotary Club Golf Tournament is coming up on October 4th at The Club at Eaglebrooke. The committee is seeking volunteers. To register for the event, visit http://lakelandrotarygolf.com.

Pints to End Polio is scheduled for October 24th at Swan Brewing. The event will begin at 5:30pm and a portion of the proceeds will be donated to Polio Plus.
 

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Linda Bagley Wiggs introduced the meeting's speaker, J. Lenora Bresler. Ms. Bresler is a nationally acclaimed leadership speaker, author, trainer, and coach. As an active member of the Lakeland Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), she is also chairing the upcoming America250 Path to Freedom Project, one of the many commemorative projects and events happening across America in celebration of the 250th birthday of our great nation.



Led by the DAR in partnership with the Polk County Veteran's Council, Platform Art and the City of Lakeland, the Path to Freedom project will include the installation of a new monument at Lakeland's Veteran's Park across from Lake Beulah. The monument will be located next to the Bicentennial Rose Garden and will complete the park's chronological span of American military history. 

The monument is conceived as a free-standing, life-size bronze sculpture of Mary Katherine Goddard, the woman who printed the original Declaration of Independence. By highlighting a female patriot, the monument invites a discussion of the diverse patriots who supported our nation's birth. The project's planned educational programs, including a lecture series, educational video, teacher and student engagement, and public docent-led tours will highlight not only those who were the public face of the Revolution, but also those who served in our nascent military and the diverse supporters traditionally overlooked by history. 



Sculptor, Becky Ault, was selected to create the work of art. Ms. Ault is an award-winning sculptor with a passion for historical accuracy. Hundreds of her life-size figures are permanently installed throughout America, including on the National Mall. Her works have already been well-received locally, including the Lakeland Police Department's Law Enforcement Honor Guard Memorial, George Jenkins and Joker Marchant at Joker Marchant Stadium and the Friends of Freedom, Spanish-American War Memorial. 

 

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The Lakeland Rotary Club spearheaded a successful Service Project at kidsPACK on Saturday, September 7, 2024. A dedicated team of 35 volunteer Rotarians, family members, and friends, came together to support the local non-profit organization, which provides meals and essential supplies to children in need across the region.

Lakeland Rotary Club’s Service Project for KidsPACK

In a heartwarming display of community spirit, the Lakeland Rotary Club spearheaded a successful Service Project at kidsPACK on Saturday, September 7, 2024. A dedicated team of 35 volunteer Rotarians, family members, and friends came together to support the local non-profit organization, which provides meals and essential supplies to children in need across the region. 4,900 Polk County students have been referred to kidsPACK for weekend meals this school year — 900 more than last year.

Our group assembled at the kidsPACK facility at 9 am, where we were given background information by Program Manager Amy Royal. Food for the meals is purchased. Other items are donated. Warehouse staff member Mark Stoughton took over and instructed us on the procedures for packing the food 'plates', wrapping, and boxing. The collaborative effort aimed to ensure that children facing food insecurity would have access to reliable meals on weekends. The completed meals will be delivered to Polk County schools this week for distribution by classroom teachers.

Lakeland Rotary Club President Marsha Leap praised the volunteers for their hard work and commitment. “Today’s event showcases the power of community and the impact we can have when we come together for a common cause. Our members are proud to support kidsPACK and contribute to their mission of ensuring no child goes hungry.”

The project not only provided much-needed assistance to kidsPACK but also strengthened the bonds between community members and local organizations. Many of the volunteers expressed satisfaction in knowing their efforts would make a meaningful difference in the lives of children and families in Lakeland and the surrounding area.

KidsPACK's Amy Royal expressed gratitude for the Lakeland Rotary Club’s support. “The dedication and enthusiasm of the Lakeland Rotary Club volunteer Rotarians, their families, and friends, has been truly inspiring. Their hard work is essential in helping us continue our mission and make a positive impact on our community.”

As the morning wrapped up, the Lakeland Rotary Club and kidsPACK team members shared a sense of accomplishment and renewed commitment to community service. The event underscored the importance of collaboration and the difference that can be made when people come together with a shared purpose. Together We Fight Hunger! We are People of Action and this is the Magic of Rotary!
 

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President Marsha Leap called the meeting to order. Ron Denney led the Invocation, Pledge of Allegiance, Four-way Test and Patriotic Song. Stephanie Colon introduced the guests and visiting Rotarians, and Tammy Crotteau collected Happy Dollars. Announcements President Marsha opened the announcements with a reminder of the social being held the same evening at Spring Hill Suites. In addition...

President Marsha Leap called the meeting to order. Ron Denney led the Invocation, Pledge of Allegiance, Four-way Test and Patriotic Song. Stephanie Colon introduced the guests and visiting Rotarians, and Tammy Crotteau collected Happy Dollars.

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Announcements

President Marsha opened the announcements with a reminder of the social being held the same evening at Spring Hill Suites. In addition to the school supply drive that would benefit Southwest Elementary and Middle Schools, donation checks would be presented to each school Principal on behalf of The Lakeland Rotary Club.

Mark Miller reminded everyone that a service opportunity is coming up on September 7th for kidsPACK from 9-11am at their warehouse, which is located at Browning Moving & Storage, 3725 Frontage Rd North in Lakeland. A possible social will follow at the neighboring Brew Hub. 

Fred Oeters highlighted a flier on everyone's table with a QR code. Members are invited to scan the code to offer input on the meeting's program. Feedback is meant to help the program committee plan future speakers. 

The Lakeland Rotary Club Golf Tournament is still looking for pin flag sponsors. At the $500 level, you can feature your corporate logo or dedicate it to your favorite veteran. Donations will be used to support Flight to Honor Mission 10 and will cover airfare costs for the participating veterans. Deadline to commit is August 31st. Click here to pledge your support. 

President Marsha shared a special invitation from the Sunshine Club to join them this Saturday, August 24th, in their suite for the Flying Tigers game. Tickets are $40, and you can register on DACdb. Proceeds will benefit Polio Plus. 

As a final reminder, Pints to End Polio is scheduled for October 24th at Swan Brewing. The event will begin at 5:30pm and a portion of the proceeds will be donated to Polio Plus. 

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Janice Jones gave an introduction to the day's guest speaker, Kristin Aiken, President & CEO of Achievement Academy, a nonprofit organization that provides social services to families throughout Polk County. The mission of Achievement Academy is to give children the opportunity to achieve their maximum potential by providing early intervention, education, therapy, and family support to those with special needs or at-risk for developmental delays.

Originally founded as United Cerebral Palsy in 1955, the organization has grown steadily over the years. In 1987, they were able to expand services to children with other developmental delays and became the Child Development Center of Polk County, Inc. 10 years later, their application to become a Charter School was approved, and in 2004, they changed their name to Achievement Academy. Today, Achievement Academy Charter School serves 157 students across three campuses in Lakeland, Bartow and Winter Haven. In addition, the organization has served thousands of children and families in their homes through their early intervention program.



Currently, the organization serves children and families through three main programs:

Birth to Three offers early intervention services to children up to three years of age who may be at-risk for developmental delays due to a variety of factors, including prematurity, social/emotional issues, environmental issues, or a parent’s concern about their child’s development. They also provide early intervention services to children who have been identified with a developmental delay. 

ESE (Exceptional Student Education) Pre-K classes offer educational services to children with special needs ages two through five years old, which may include:

1. Small class size with individualized attention.
2. Developmentally appropriate goals and activities.
3. Active parent participation.
4. Individual speech, physical, and occupational therapies.
5. Hearing and vision services.
6. Assistive technology.

One-on-one Therapy may include individual Physical, Speech, and Occupational Therapy sessions. Therapists work closely with teachers and parents in a collaborative team approach that makes sure each child is reaching their goals.

Achievement Academy has been a United Way partner since 1957. Therapies are always provided at no charge to parents. Instead, the organization relies on private donations to continue services. Their largest fundraiser of the year is Top Chef of Polk County, which is scheduled for February 24, 2025. 

To learn more, visit their website at achievementacademy.com.
 

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As a token of the club's gratitude, President Marsha presented Kristin with The Lakeland Rotary Club journal and an honor coin. She closed the meeting with her Thought of the Day. August is Membership and New Club Development month. In a previous survey, the membership had listed "networking" as one of the top reasons for joining Rotary. In consideration of that, Marsha dedicated the final few minutes of the meeting to group networking.
 

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President Marsha Leap called the meeting to order. Greg Robinson led the Invocation, Pledge and Four-way test. Karen Warren introduced the guests, and Bill Lippy collected Happy Dollars. 



President Marsha reminded the membership of several upcoming events and service opportunities.

• August 20th from 5:30 - 7:30pm, The Lakeland Rotary Club will host a social and school supply drive at Spring Hill Suites. Members are encouraged to bring donations of school supplies to benefit the students of Southwest Elementary and Middle Schools. 
• October 24th is World Polio Day, and in its honor, the four Rotary Clubs of Lakeland will come together for a joint social, "Pints to End Polio", at Swan Brewing. The event will begin at 5:30pm and a portion of all proceeds will be donated to Polio Plus. 
• The Twilight 5K will take place on February 7th, and President Marsha is forming a 10-person walking team on behalf of The Lakeland Rotary Club. Reach out to Marsha if interested in joining the group. Runners are encouraged to create additional teams. 

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Amanda Walls introduced the meeting's guest speakers, Nicole Bradham and Grant Sparks of Hot Mod Agency, an Influencer Marketing company that represents a curated network of travel influencers. Hot Mod helps companies reach their marketing goals through strategic brand deals with content creators of all sizes, ranging from Nano-influencers with 1,000 followers to Macro-influences with audiences of 500,000 or more. 



Their presentation focused on "The Power of Hyper-Local Influencers". They stressed the point that even a small financial investment can reap substantial rewards for your business. 

Benefits of influence marketing include:

• Heightened brand awareness
• New clientele
• Boosted SEO rankings
• New Google and website reviews
• Appeal to the next generation of buyers
• Build content library for future campaigns
• Accessibility for businesses of all sizes

You can find local influencers in your industry through targeted searches of local #hashtags, Instagram keywords, local Facebook groups and Google. 

Interested in learning more about influencer marketing or Hot Mod's services? You can DM (direct message) @hotmodagency with the phrase "Influencer Program" for access. 

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President Marsha closed out the meeting with a gift for each speaker, a Lakeland Rotary Club journal and an honor coin. Her thought of the day was a reminder of July's topic of the month, which was Maternal and Child Health Month.

There are an estimated 5.9 million children under the age of 5 that die each year from malnutrition, inadequate health care and poor sanitation. This can all be prevented. Rotarians around the world are providing education to mothers on how to prevent mother-to-infant HIV transmission, how to breast-feed, and how to protect one's family from illness and disease. 

Haiti has the highest maternal and infant mortality rate of any country in the western hemisphere. Rotary, using our Foundation investments, provides fully-equipped medical jeeps for volunteers and midwives to reach mothers and children in remote areas. 

Rotarians launched a $3 million pilot to save lives of mothers and children during home deliveries in Nigeria. Since 2005 they have repaired 1,500 obstetric fistulas, a medical condition of pregnant mothers, restoring health and saving lives. 

To learn more, watch this video, Rotary Supports Mothers and Babies, produced by Rotary International. 
 

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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/.
 

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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.
 

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. Youth Service recognizes the importance of empowering youth and young professionals through leadership development programs. We help deserving high school students with scholarships for college. We also have a great opportunity with the Rotary S4TL program coming up in June at Florida Southern. That is Students For Tomorrow's Leaders...

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Youth Service recognizes the importance of empowering youth and young professionals through leadership development programs. We help deserving high school students with scholarships for college. We also have a great opportunity with the Rotary S4TL program coming up in June at Florida Southern. That is Students For Tomorrow's Leaders and it is an amazing week. Volunteer for a day and be involved! And let's get our Interact and Rotaract Clubs moving again too!

Have you checked out Rotary Direct yet? It really is easy to enroll! Go to: https://my.rotary.org/en/rotary-direct There are lots of reasons to give to The Rotary Foundation. What motivates you? https://www.rotary.org/en/get-involved/ways-to-give

Tigertown RC - Thursday, May 9th from 6:30 to 8:30 pm at Banquet 61, Baking For Good Fundraiser. Here is the link to register: https://lakelandtigertownrotary.wildapricot.org/event

Rotary Club of Hardee County presents their Annual Watermelon Festival with a Friday night concert and Saturday all sorts of fun activities at Pioneer Park, Zolfo Springs. May 10 and 11.

Also that weekend is our own Mayfaire-By-the -Lake which is always a fun take, especially if you need a Mother's Day gift!

Four of our club members will be traveling to SINGAPORE this month for the Rotary International Convention. President Elect Marsha, Michelle Emerson-Lewis (going with her husband, Jason who is PE of Lakeland Sunrise), and Mark and Irma. Next year's RI Convention is in Calgary, Canada June 21-25 if you want to start planning a trip now!  Rotary District 6890 Annual Installation For 2024-2025 District Governor Chevon Baccus -  Wednesday, June 26th here in Lakeland at the Magnolia Room. Let's show up and support our incoming District Leadership team including members of TLRC - Marsha Leap, Karen Warren, Stacy Campbell-Dominick, Mark Scolnick, Irma Cole, and Carol Wallace. Ticket info via Ignite or DACdb.

Our Annual Dinner is Tuesday 6/11 at the Lakeland Yacht Club, starting at 5:30 pm. $65 per person.

District Conference is Saturday, June 8th at Camp Florida in Brandon. Sign up via DACdb Calendar or Ignite App. This is a family friendly day with one of the highlights being DG Steve in a Dunk Tank! There will be food and fun all for $25. Awards being presented include our club. Be there to help us celebrate!

Rotary Honduras Mission Trip dates for 2025 are March 15-22. You can register now at: https://www.hondurascompassion.org/teams/important-forms/apply/ You will need your passport number to complete the application and a $250 deposit. Total cost of trip = $1275 per person.

Contact irmacole26@gmail.com for more information about items mentioned in our Weekly News Updates.
 

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President Julie Townsend called the meeting to order. Ron Denney then led the invocation, pledge, and Four-Way Test. Marsha Leap introduced the guests and visiting Rotarians. Our guests were Carole Philipson (Lyle Philipson), CJ McKellen (Ryan McKellen), and Colin Parody (Stephanie Colon). Happy Dollars were collected by Trey Harden. Mike...

President Julie Townsend called the meeting to order. Ron Denney then led the invocation, pledge, and Four-Way Test.

Marsha Leap introduced the guests and visiting Rotarians. Our guests were Carole Philipson (Lyle Philipson), CJ McKellen (Ryan McKellen), and Colin Parody (Stephanie Colon).

Happy Dollars were collected by Trey Harden. Mike Loudon led the club in singing “Home on the Range.”

Announcements began with Ron Denney who announced that it was Giving Tuesday and reminded club members to remember the Rotary Foundation today. President Julie reminded everyone to download the Ignite app. Download it with an Apple ID. Her goal is to get 80 members on the app by the end of the year. Also, keep track of your service hours on the app.

Reba Coil reminded the club about the HEARTH homeless program at Southwest Elementary and Southwest Middle – there are 40 families who have Christmas lists that we will adopt. Sign-up sheets are on the back table. If you pick a sheet, sign the table. Gifts must be wrapped and labeled. Also buy gift cards for Publix, etc. Gifts are due by the 12^th and you can deliver your gifts to the families on December 13th at Southwest Elementary 3:30-4:15 PM, then at Southwest Middle 4:30-5:00 PM. Linda Roddenberry announced that VISTE boxes will be delivered to our Club’s Meeting at 11:30 AM this Tuesday (December 5^th). We have 80 boxes and pick up your boxes. Look for an email if you signed up.



Jim Russell announced that the Salvation Army bell ringing starts December 9^th. We have more than ½ of the slots covered (of the 65 slots that we have). If you are signing up on the website and you plan to have a family member or friend ring with you, make sure you put their name or your name twice so that the slots are filled. Do not sign up for slots while we are sitting here at lunchtime because we have table sign-ups here during the meeting that will have priority. If you want to ring before December 9th, then we can help the Sunrise Rotary Club to help fill the slots through this Friday; Jim has the list of times.

Today’s speaker was introduced by Dr. Karen Warren. The speaker was Rick Orzachowski, American Legion Commander Florida District 7.



The American Legion (AL) was founded in March 1919. The first American Legion post was in Paris, France. There are four key pillars: Veterans Affairs, National Security, Americanism, and Children and Youth. There are over 3,000 service officers now who assist veterans in getting jobs, and benefits from the government. They do this free of charge. The American Legion helped create the Veterans Affairs Department and helped push through the GI Bill.



If you have a flag that needs retirement, take it to your local AL and they will retire it for you for free. They Sponsor ROTC and JROTC. They also Founded Boys State. This is all volunteer work – they don’t get paid. Now is a great time to join the American Legion – they need younger people to join as members to keep the programs going.

They are also passionate about their Wreaths Across America program. They purchase wreaths based on donations received. This year, they raised $15,000 and will buy wreaths for Bushnell Cemetery for the veterans there and distribute those on December 16^th.

There are two posts here, 1 in Lakeland and 1 in Winter Haven. In total, there are ten posts in Polk County. Each post has their own 501(c)(3). Please consider following their Facebook page: AmericanLegionDistrict7.



Next week’s program is:  Pedal Power – Cops and Kids

President Julie closed with her quote of the week: “There are only 2 kinds of speakers in the world:  nervous and liars.” – Mark Twain

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This week's program was on the Rotary Foundation. Ron Denney, Bryce Philpot, and Irma Cole presented how the foundation works and how to contribute.   Ron Denney, Foundation Committee Chair, indicated that of the $17,076 donated to the Annual Fund three years ago, 25% was available this year for a local project and 25% for a global project...

This week's program was on the Rotary Foundation. Ron Denney, Bryce Philpot, and Irma Cole presented how the foundation works and how to contribute.  

Ron Denney, Foundation Committee Chair, indicated that of the $17,076 donated to the Annual Fund three years ago, 25% was available this year for a local project and 25% for a global project with the other 50% retained by the Rotary Foundation. Ron indicated that the local project was designated to support the 11-day Trades Academy camp for students grades 8-12, which is facilitated by the Lakeland Police Department.  The students learn carpentry, electrical, plumbing, roofing, drywall/painting, architecture, and more developing skills to meet the labor gap.



Bryce Philpot discussed the 50% retained by the Rotary Foundation and indicated that 55% of the Rotary Foundation's available funds support polio eradication.  Most of the remaining available funds are dedicated to Global and District Grants with the Trade Academy being an example of a District Grant.  Bryce pointed out that we also understand Global Grants because we designate Global Grant funds every year.



Irma Cole took the podium to outline our Global Grants for the year.  Irma indicated we designated our $4,269 available to a $75,730 Global Grant to install 125 ceramic water filters, 100 latrines, and 100 water storage tanks in La Paz, Honduras.  She showed pictures of our members installing filters, latrines, and storage tanks on-site in Honduras, a new opportunity for our members to work in combination with our grant funding.



Irma also outlined an additional Global Grant that did not use our funds, but in which our club members served as the International Sponsor.  The Global Grant will provide equipment, medical supplies, and appliances to five health centers in Maharashtra, India.  Irma noted that it went over budget by $12.05 due to the exchange rate shifting...and that the Rotary oversight staff insisted that the main sponsor provide the additional funds.  Irma pointed out that if Rotary is tightly overseeing the final $12.05 in one of 1,199 Global Grants for the year, you can feel assured that your donations are being well kept.

Ron Denney returned to the podium to outline the Foundation Committee goals for the year which are:

• 75% of members attain EREY ($25 minimum donation) for the year
• Re-attain 100% Paul Harris Club (currently 137/172 members are PHF)
• Raise the number of Rotary Direct members (currently 46/172)

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President Julie Townsend called the meeting to order. Greg Robinson then led the invocation, pledge, and Four-Way Test. Meldoy Rider introduced the guests and visiting Rotarians. Our guests were Rebecca Knowles (Trey Harden), Joe Lesniewicz (James Ring), and Scott Folsom (Amanda Walls), Judy New (Marcia Leap) and Mark Miller introduced...

President Julie Townsend called the meeting to order. Greg Robinson then led the invocation, pledge, and Four-Way Test.

Meldoy Rider introduced the guests and visiting Rotarians. Our guests were Rebecca Knowles (Trey Harden), Joe Lesniewicz (James Ring), and Scott Folsom (Amanda Walls), Judy New (Marcia Leap) and Mark Miller introduced his parents. Our visiting Rotarians were Doug McCall and guests.

Happy Dollars were collected by Karen Warren. Dorsey Hightower led the club in singing “Happy Birthday” to Mark Scolnick and Bill Schichtel.



Announcements began with President Julie who announced that they unfortunately are having to cancel the Christmas Parade Party given the new route that the city announced. Linda Roddenberry announced the upcoming VISTE delivery volunteer opportunity. Please be on the lookout for additional info and think about how many VISTE boxes you would like to deliver. President Julie then showed the club the new online sign up link for volunteer activities on our website.

Today’s presentation was from Gary Clark and Don Selvage. Don began by discussing the history of Veterans Day and its evolution. There are currently 18 million veterans in our country. He mentioned that we typically think of veterans as older. However, a huge number of veterans are younger and have served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Our military is very diverse – ethnically and gender. They share a common bond and mission – no matter their background or where they are from. We have 25 veterans who are members of our Lakeland Rotary Club. Every conflict since Korea is represented as are all of the different military entities. Don then discussed how joining the military changes your plans – both for you and your family. It also has an impact on your career and what you do with your life. Every one of these individuals took an oath to place service above self.

Don then introduced Gary and discussed his strong commitment to veterans over the past number of decades. Gary was inducted into the Florida State Veterans Hall of Fame. In addition to his commitment to veterans, he is also very involved in the county’s ROTC & JROTC programs.



Gary began by discussing the ROTC & JROTC programs and their history and purpose. For over 20 years, our club has recognized the JROTC cadets at each LET level. Our club gives cadets a ribbon and certificate that has been recognized. We have 338 JROTC units in the state of Florida. There are 14 programs in Polk County. In Federalist 29, Alexander Hamilton wrote about the standing fear of a federal militia. The concern was how to do we provide for some level of defense but without the threat to the people. In 1891, Captain Alden Partridge began the concept of “citizen-soldiers.” A number of military institutions were created between 1819 and 1861. The Land Grant (Morrill) Act of 1862 was signed by Abraham Lincoln with the goal to fund educational institutions. From 1915 to 1930, there was a major expansion in transforming “farm boys into respectable men” and creating ROTC programs in secondary schools. Today, roughly 60-70% of all military officers come from the JROTC/ROTC programs. During Vietnam, many ROTC programs were shut down in response to war protests. In 1973 females became eligible for the ROTC program. Gary was at Kansas State University from 1963-1967 where there were 4,000+ cadets (all male). Only Texas A&M had a larger cadet base at the time. Gary had a decision to make – Army or Air Force.



JROTC stands for Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps. Today we have some of the best instructors in all of the public school system. All of them are retired military.
Gary concluded by thanking our club for their support of the JROTC program and the important things that it teaches kids in our community.



President Julie closed with her quote of the week: “Politics is supposed to be the second oldest profession. I’ve come to realize it bears a close resemblance to the first.” – Ronald Reagan

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President Julie Townsend called the meeting to order. Bill Mutz then led the invocation, pledge, and Four-Way Test. Jason Wyatt introduced the guests and visiting Rotarians. Our guests were Carole Philipson (Lyle Philipson), Mike McGee (Kathy McGee), Judi New (Blair Allen), Gracie Wakefield (James Ring), and Colin Parody (Steph Colon)....

President Julie Townsend called the meeting to order. Bill Mutz then led the invocation, pledge, and Four-Way Test.



Jason Wyatt introduced the guests and visiting Rotarians. Our guests were Carole Philipson (Lyle Philipson), Mike McGee (Kathy McGee), Judi New (Blair Allen), Gracie Wakefield (James Ring), and Colin Parody (Steph Colon).

Happy Dollars were collected by Mark Scolnick. Dorsey Hightower led the club in singing “Whole World in His Hands.”

Announcements began with Reba Coil who thanked the members who attended the Pints to End Polio event. She also is looking for members to speak at the Great American Teach-In on 11/15 and 11/16 at Southwest Elementary and Southwest Middle School. There are also five more spots available for the Rotary Fishing Trip on December 3. Contact Reba for additional details.

Irma Cole then reminded members about the upcoming Rotary District Gala on 11/16. Also, in January there is an immunization trip to India that is planned. Contact Irma or Reba for additional details. Irma also thanked everyone for attending the Pints to End Polio Event. The event raised a total of $533.

Don Selvage reminded everyone about Veterans Week. The Club’s program on 11/7 is about Veterans along with Gary Clark.  Friday 11/10 is the Marine Corps birthday and also the annual Lakeland Rotary Clubs breakfast at Heritage Baptist Church from 7 AM to 9 AM. The cost is $10 if not a veteran and it’s free for veterans. Jennifer Canady is the speaker. 11/11 is the Veterans Program. Mike Denham will speak about the Korean War which will be followed by the parade to downtown.

Rick Maxey introduced the speaker for the program: Benjamin Ruch with “Students without Homes.” Benjamin Ruch – “Students without Homes.” “HEARTH” stands for “Homeless Education Advocates Restoring the Hope.” Ben is originally from upstate NY, and moved down here to attend college at Southeastern. They define homeless children as individuals who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence. The 1987 McKinney-Vento Act – helped ensure students’ housing needs were met. When people think of homelessness, it’s not just the person on the street corner -It’s kids. Last school year there were 4,800+ homeless students which equates to around one per classroom. That was the most # ever in our district. We are on pace to have over 5,000 homeless students. This is a need that’s growing.



The #1 priority is making sure our district is in compliance with the McKinney-Vento Act. There are two  big components under the law: 1) removing barriers to education (getting kids into school despite not having birth certificates, etc.) and 2) school stability (for most of these kids, the most stable part of their life is their school).

To support the program, citizens can: get with Ben and see what the needs are at that time for students, support the local schools, meet with the local administrators and find out what the needs are for low-income students, and make donations to the Polk Education Foundation.

If want more information, contact Ben Ruch – Homeless Liaison, PCPS, 863-457-4709



Spring Obsession will be raising funds to support students at Southwest Middle and Southwest Elementary

President Julie closed with her paraprosdokian of the week: what happened to the naughty witch at school? She was ex-spelled.”

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President Julie Townsend called the meeting to order. Fred Oeters then led the invocation, pledge, and Four-Way Test. Ron Denney introduced the guests and visiting Rotarians. Happy Dollars were collected by Melody Rider. Jason Wyatt began announcements by recapping the golf tournament. He thanked everyone who participated, all the volunteers...

President Julie Townsend called the meeting to order. Fred Oeters then led the invocation, pledge, and Four-Way Test.

Ron Denney introduced the guests and visiting Rotarians. Happy Dollars were collected by Melody Rider.

Jason Wyatt began announcements by recapping the golf tournament. He thanked everyone who participated, all the volunteers and the golf committee. The winners of the silent auctions for the two guardian spots: Guy LaLonde and John Paul.

Reba Coil then announced the upcoming Rotary Social events: December 3rd is the fishing trip. There are about 5 slots left, the price is $115 per person, and payments are due November 3^rd. We are also starting to find partners for schools – there is a new program called Partners In Education AKA “PIE” – our club has jumped in big, supporting Southwest Elementary and Southwest Middle.  We are committed to donating $10,000 per school for the next 3 years. As part of this, some upcoming events include: On November 15th and 16th is the Great American Teach-in:  Our 2 schools would love to have speakers, fill out the form for Reba if you would like to participate. On May 28th – the two principals will come back to our club and talk about how much our support has meant

Jessica Kirby announced that Spring Obsession is May 9, 2024. She is seeking a committee so contact her if you are interested. Proceeds will go toward the PIE program



President Julie reminded the club that if you already downloaded the Ignite app, you could log the hours that you volunteered at Friday’s Golf Tournament. Also, you can still sign up for the Rotary District Gala on November 16th on Ignite. The Veterans Breakfast is on November 10^th. Also, she announced that everyone’s dues have been paid and are up to date. She also announced that Mayor Bill Mutz read the City of Lakeland proclamation designating October 24th as World Polio Day in the City of Lakeland.



The speakers for the program were Mark Scolnick and Irma Cole on World Polio Day – October 24^th.

They began by asking why we care about polio. In 1955, the 1st polio vaccine became available. In 1979 was the last case of polio in Florida. In 2020 – Africa was deemed wild-polio-free. Today, there are two countries – Afghanistan and Pakistan — that still have polio cases. A child who may not show symptoms could come here and spread the disease by infecting the water supply then would have polio back in Florida. Children especially under the age of 5 would be more at risk.

When polio began, over 350,000 children each year got polio and became crippled in 120+ countries. This year, only nine children are crippled and the virus is down to two countries.

Aziz Memon is the chair of the polio eradication committee in Pakistan. They were having success in Afghanistan/Pakistan until the Taliban took over. Aziz met with the Taliban and made his case to them. They agreed to do it to protect their children and grandchildren.

Over 3 billion children have received the polio vaccine since 1985. The Vaccines cost $3 each now and the average cost to treat each child is $36 per person.

There can be no relaxation from the threat of polio until there have been no new cases worldwide for 3 years. We are non-religious and non-political so we are listened to everywhere we go. We ask the clubs to give $1500 a year, which makes close to $50 million in funds available from Rotary to fight this disease.

Those who can contribute $100/year, will be a Polio Plus Society member – contact Irma if want to be a member. The Gates Foundation provides our foundation with $100 million to administer.

World Polio Day is October 24th every year because it is the birth of Jonas Salk who led the first team to develop a vaccine against polio. For more info, please visit endpolio.org.



President Julie closed with her paraprosdokian of the week: “When life shuts a door, open it again. It’s a door. That’s how they work.”

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President Julie Townsend called the meeting to order. Fred Oeters then led the invocation, pledge, and Four-Way Test. Melody Rider introduced the guests and visiting Rotarians: Sarah Clemis (Kim Brunson), Glenn Folsom (Lakeland), & Dennis & Dolores Digamon (Plant City). Happy Dollars were collected by Tammi Crotteau. Reba Coil began...

President Julie Townsend called the meeting to order. Fred Oeters then led the invocation, pledge, and Four-Way Test.



Melody Rider introduced the guests and visiting Rotarians: Sarah Clemis (Kim Brunson), Glenn Folsom (Lakeland), & Dennis & Dolores Digamon (Plant City). Happy Dollars were collected by Tammi Crotteau.

Reba Coil began announcements by discussing upcoming social events including Pints to End Polio at Swan Brewing on 10/24 at 5:30 PM and the Fishing Trip on 12/3 (12 spots left - $115/person). She is still looking for a venue to host our Christmas Parade gathering. Upcoming social events for 2024 include a Fresco’s Speakeasy cocktail class, an event at The Back Nine, and an event at the Joinery.

Our speaker was Author Judy Silverstein Gray who wrote “Unwavering: The Wives Who Fought to Ensure No Man is Left Behind.”  The book is available on Amazon & at Simon & Schuster. It took her 8 years to research and write the book. It’s a story about the wives of Vietnam soldiers and how they made POWs and MIAs so valuable that the US had to bring them home. During the 1960’s, Lyndon B Johnson was President, $6,600 was the median income, and women were limited socially, professionally, and financially.



Despite this, men were being shipped off to Vietnam. While casualties were expected during the war, the idea that men were missing was unimaginable. Many spouses were expected to keep quiet and accept the party line (that prisoners were being treated fairly). The government didn’t share information with the women about other women whose husbands were missing. These women waited for years with no credit, no place to live, and mostly no word from the US Government. Many women were left wondering whether they were wives or widows.

In 1968, one woman decided to break the silence and gave an interview to the San Diego newspaper. Her story spread and others found the courage to come forward. This raised awareness and pressure on the government to negotiate the return of many POWs. In 1973, 591 men were released from captivity. However, there were still hundreds and hundreds unaccounted for.

Thank you Judy for speaking to our club!

President Julie closed with her quote of the week: Women who behave rarely make history.

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President Julie Townsend called the meeting to order. Larry Rankin & Irma Cole then led the invocation, pledge, and Four-Way Test. Blair Allen introduced the guests and visiting Rotarians (none were in attendance). Happy Dollars were collected by Scott LaRonde. Reba Coil began announcements by discussing the upcoming Pints for...

President Julie Townsend called the meeting to order. Larry Rankin & Irma Cole then led the invocation, pledge, and Four-Way Test.

Blair Allen introduced the guests and visiting Rotarians (none were in attendance). Happy Dollars were collected by Scott LaRonde.

Reba Coil began announcements by discussing the upcoming Pints for Polio event at Swan Brewing on Tuesday, October 24. Additionally, the Lakeland Christmas Parade is looking for a venue to watch the parade and have fellowship. If anyone knows a place that would work, please let Reba know.

Irma Cole discussed the first in-person meetup Thursday night for the trip going to Honduras – it’s a Yard on Mass at 6 PM. Also, November 16^th is the annual Rotary Foundation Dinner at Saddlebrook Resort. The cost is $68 per person and Irma can help sign you up. Also, Irma reminded the club about the World Polio Day Proclamation at City Hall (see the image below).



Scott LaRonde announced that they are still looking for sponsors for the back of the Twilight 5K shirt, - The deadline is this week to get your name on the back of the shirt. Sponsorships start as low as $600 and they are also still looking for an overall sponsor.

Jason Wyatt reminded everyone about the Rotary Golf Tournament on October 20^th. They are still looking for donations for the Basket of Cheer including wine and spirits. They are also looking for additional volunteers to help with the tournament. Even if you are not coming to work the tournament, members should come to the dinner and silent auction; buy a ticket at: LakelandRotaryGolf.com. They are also still accepting donations for Silent Auction

President Julie then played an explanatory video for DACdb Ignite app. Download the app because there are a lot of helpful features.

Brenda Ramirez introduced the guest speaker, in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month: Dr. Patricia Trejo, President of the Florida Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents, Senior Director for ESOL (Patricia.trejo@polk-fl.net).



She was in education for 27 years before coming back to Polk County,

She likes to start speeches with this quote:  “Our job is to teach the students we have. Not the ones we would like to have. Not the ones we used to have. Those we have right now. All of them.” - Dr. Kevin Maxwell.

She was an ESOL student herself in Polk schools growing up before exiting from the ESOL program. She was the 1st Latina to be inducted into the Auburndale High School Alumni Hall of Fame.



ESOL currently consists of 115,516 students, 11,411 LY (cannot speak English), 3,006 LF (about to exit them from the program, making progress). The total ELLs is 14,417. There are 7 teacher leaders in the schools servicing 169 schools.

The majority are coming from Puerto Rico, followed by Venezuela, Haiti, Mexico, Cuba, etc.

Graduation rate gap is: Florida – 88.7% non-ELL versus 73% ELL, Polk – 80% non-ELL versus 61.5% ELL.



She mentioned we have to engage our families and our community and it takes every single one of us.

She organized family/parent academies to let parents know how to support their students. Parent and Community Engagement includes library support, Cultural and diversity events, Safety committee, Etc.

Together, we can elevate ELLs!

President Julie closed with her paraprosdokian of the week: We cannot change the direction of the wind, but we can adjust our sails

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President Julie Townsend called the meeting to order. Larry Rankin then led the invocation, pledge, and Four-Way Test.   Karen Albert Warren introduced the guests and visiting Rotarians. Ashley Troutman was a guest of Linda Wiggs. Braxton Wiggs was a guest of Howard Wiggs. Joe Tedder was a guest of Janice Jones. Jena Davis was a guest...

President Julie Townsend called the meeting to order. Larry Rankin then led the invocation, pledge, and Four-Way Test.
 
Karen Albert Warren introduced the guests and visiting Rotarians. Ashley Troutman was a guest of Linda Wiggs. Braxton Wiggs was a guest of Howard Wiggs. Joe Tedder was a guest of Janice Jones. Jena Davis was a guest of Jessica Kirby.  Collin Parody was a guest of Stephanie Colon.  Bruce Abels was a guest of Kathy Abels. Scott Wilder was a visiting Rotarian from Lakeland South.
 
Happy Dollars were collected by Cory Neupauer. Mike Loudon then led the Club in singing.
 
Jason Wyatt reminded the club about the upcoming Rotary Golf Tournament in October. 70% of the golf tournament is filled up. Please visit LakelandRotaryGolf.com. Sponsorships are still available, including the pin flag sponsor.
 

 
Please consider bringing computer items to take to Honduras. We are collecting older laptops (which will be wiped clean) prior to the trip. Please contact Irma Cole for more information.
 
Ralph Allen brought in a newspaper clipping from 1918 about our Club’s beginning in the Lakeland newspaper.
 
Joe L Ruthven introduced our speaker, Dr. Susan MacManus who presented on “A Conversation in Politics.” Dr. MacManus is the USF Distinguished University Professor Emerita Department of Government and International Affairs, School of Interdisciplinary Global Studies.
 
She began by discussing the year ahead - 3 big elections: The presidential primary in March 2024, the primary election on August 20, and the general election on November 5. She mentioned it’s a loaded ballot for offices up for election in 2025 along with numerous amendments. Lots of key FL positions and items will be voted on. She discussed the changing partisan composition in Florida. Republicans outweigh Democrats in FL by registration. There is currently a 4% edge for Republicans over Democrats. Over one-third of registered voters are voters of color. Hispanics outnumber African Americans. Also, over 50% of registrants are younger people. - Gen Z, Millennial, and Gen X. Florida isn’t as old as everyone thinks from a voting perspective. Women are the majority of Florida’s registered voters and makeup 52%.

She then discussed how voters distrust elite leaders in society. Not just politicians - it’s big media and big corporations too. They feel they are out of touch and not addressing issues that impact them. Some examples include Americans trusting small businesses but not big corporations. Americans blame the media for dividing the country and increasing political polarization. The percentage of people saying America is in danger of failing as a nation - 37% of all voters, 56% of Republicans, 20% of Democrats She mentioned that everyone is concerned about the age of the president. America is in a transitional period - our values are changing. The percentage of Americans that say these values are very important to them has declined steeply - patriotism, having children, religion, and community involvement. The only one that has increased is money.
 

 
Thank you to Dr. MacManus for speaking to our club!
 
President Julie closed with her paraprosdokian of the week: The only accurate statistic on Election Date: 100% of Americans think 50% of Americans have lost their dang minds.
Next week’s program will be Marty Helman, Rotary International Trustee.

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President Julie Townsend called the meeting to order. Don Selvage then led the invocation, pledge, and Four-Way Test.   Pam Craven introduced the guests and visiting Rotarians. Happy Dollars were collected by Michelle Emerson-Lewis. Mike Loudon then led the Club in singing.   President Julie then installed the following new members: Mark Miller, sponsored by Michael Huff and Beth Ann Noles sponsored by Matt...

President Julie Townsend called the meeting to order. Don Selvage then led the invocation, pledge, and Four-Way Test.
 
Pam Craven introduced the guests and visiting Rotarians. Happy Dollars were collected by Michelle Emerson-Lewis. Mike Loudon then led the Club in singing.
 
President Julie then installed the following new members: Mark Miller, sponsored by Michael Huff and Beth Ann Noles sponsored by Matt Brown.
 

 
Ed Lunz then introduced Adam Abitol with NOAA.
 
Adam began by providing his education accomplishments with a USNWC, MA, USNTPS Class 152 and his MS in Systems Engineering from John Hopkins. In aviation, he has over 4000 hours and has flown several different types of aircraft – helicopters, seaplanes, jets, and many more.
 
About NOAA, at the Department of Commerce, there are about 3000 employees, 321 NOAA corps uniform and service employees, 50 planes, and AOC - 9 aircraft. There are 4 types of aircraft that NOAA currently flies.
 
Adam's job role is COO/Operational Flight for Hurricanes, GRAV-D, TOMS, OWN, King Air, 35 OER. He is also an instruction Pilot – Senior OP, and Test Pilot.
Adam explained that testing is a very important part of their work and testing can take 2 – 3 years prior to launch. The process is to alter and modify the aircraft, then analyze, simulate, compare, inspect, then test/demo, and finally flight test.
 
Adam explained that the Technical Reports that are written throughout the process are the most laborious part of the process. Which includes Test Plans, Report of Test Reports, Daily Flight Reports, Data Cards, and Deficiency Reports.
 
Adam went on and showed videos of Flight Chases where they have two airplanes flying side by side in ‘flying form’ and observing the NOAA aircraft during test fly. He supplied a video of the NOAA aircraft releasing a Hurricane Drone and the process of how the observation leads to improving the process prior to launch.
 
Adam took many questions from the audience before he had to depart to chase the many Hurricanes forming.
 

 
President Julie closed with her paraprosdokian of the week: The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits.
 
Next week’s program will be A Conversation in Politics with Dr. Susan McManus.

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President Julie Townsend called the meeting to order. John Fullerton then led the invocation, pledge, and Four-Way Test.   Steph Colon introduced the guests and visiting Rotarians. Beth Ann Noles was a guest of Matt Brown. Lana Howe was a guest of Rich Howe. Mark Miller was a guest of Michael Huff. Craig Leckie was a guest of Amanda...

President Julie Townsend called the meeting to order. John Fullerton then led the invocation, pledge, and Four-Way Test.
 
Steph Colon introduced the guests and visiting Rotarians. Beth Ann Noles was a guest of Matt Brown. Lana Howe was a guest of Rich Howe. Mark Miller was a guest of Michael Huff. Craig Leckie was a guest of Amanda Walls. Rebecca Fortier was a guest of Scott LaRonde. Jeff Fee was our Visiting Rotarian.
 
Happy Dollars were collected by Tammi Crotteau. The club then did a brainstorming exercise at each table to list our current volunteer activities and also to submit ideas for future volunteer activities.
 
Reba Coil announced the first social of the year which was on Tuesday, August 22 at Springhill Suites. The event was part of our club’s school supplies drive. She thanked everyone for donations of supplies and cash for supplies. Please continue to donate if able.
 
Michael Huff made an announcement about the Flight to Honor. As part of our club sponsoring the flight, we get two seats on the plane. Rotary is going to auction off the seats to Rotarians. If you’d like to bid on these, there will be a sheet at the back table at rotary events. Please bid and support this wonderful program.
 
Another announcement was to please pay attention to Irma’s Rotary district announcements at each table.
 
Karen Warren then introduced the speaker, Danielle Drummond, CEO of Lakeland Regional Health.
 

 
She joined in 2013 and has served in numerous roles over the years including Chief Strategy and Growth Officer, Executive Vice President, and Chief Operating Officer, then assuming the position of Chief Executive Officer of the health system.
 
Her speech focused on providing an overall Health systems update, an update on the graduate medical education program, and expansion plans for the hospital.
Lakeland Regional has been around for over 100 years. 1916 was the first facility. Now they have over 7,000 employees, 290+ physicians, 1,160 medical staff team members, and 7,300 team members. They have an 892-bed hospital and roughly 90% of their patients come from Polk County. Lakeland Regional has the second busiest emergency room in the USA.
 

 
One of the goals for the hospital is to focus on growing the physician group throughout Polk County. These physicians & their locations are connected to Lakeland Regional. We are very short per capita between primary care physicians and the population compared to other areas in Florida. There are currently 18 different physical group locations across Polk County.
 
She mentioned the hospital's most recent project is the Harrell Family Center for Behavioral Wellness. It is a freestanding 96-bed center. Roughly 15k patients have been seen so far.
 
The Hospital is also expanding its graduate medical education program. They are officially a teaching hospital with a residency program. This will provide more care to current patients and will also create a physician pipeline for Polk County. By the end of year five, their goal is to have around 200 residents.
 
She also mentioned the Hospital’s expansion plans which include the new facility at I-4/Kathleen Road, a freestanding emergency department a the intersection of South Florida Ave & 540A, another 55,000 sf facility on South Florida Avenue, and a large development on Bartow Road/Hwy 98.
 

 
President Julie closed with her paraprosdokian of the week: Treat each day as your last; one day you will be right.
 
Next week’s program will be Cody Lowry, Schmoozing: The Art of Building Relations

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President Julie Townsend called the meeting to order. Irma Cole then led the invocation, pledge, and Four-Way Test.   Carol Hornsby introduced the guests and visiting Rotarians. Rebecca Fortier and Brenda Alvarez were guests of Marsha Leap,  Allison Burt was a guest of member Gina Tullio,  Joe Parker was a guest of James Ring, Melissa Kelly and Danielle were guests...

President Julie Townsend called the meeting to order. Irma Cole then led the invocation, pledge, and Four-Way Test.
 
Carol Hornsby introduced the guests and visiting Rotarians. Rebecca Fortier and Brenda Alvarez were guests of Marsha Leap,  Allison Burt was a guest of member Gina Tullio,  Joe Parker was a guest of James Ring, Melissa Kelly and Danielle were guests of Alice Hunt.  Our visiting Rotarians were Norm Rhora and David Bielby.
 
Happy Dollars were collected by Pam Craven. Mark Davies then led the Club in singing “If You’re Happy & You Know It.”
 

 
Jason Wyatt began announcements by mentioning that the proceeds from this year’s Golf Tournament will go to support the  Flight to Honor. We are looking for sponsorships and you do not have to be a golfer to participate or attend the dinner/auction! The goal for this year’s tournament is to raise $60,000.
 
Tom Conger presented this year's Paul Harris Fellow Awards. First Paul Harris Awards - Frances Hadley-Ervin and Dr. Shandale Terrell. Second Paul Harris Award - Carol Catanzarite, Brandon Clark, and Scott Reed. Third Paul Harris Award – Chuck McDanal. Fifth Paul Harris Award - Dorsey Hightower. Sixth Paul Harris Award– Deane Hart. Ninth Paul Harris Award – Jim Russell. Congrats to each of these recipients!
 

 
President Julie recognized Mark Scolnick with the Four Way Test Award trophy which was recently engraved.  
 
Rick Maxey introduced today’s speaker – Angie Pattison, Director at Big Brothers Big Sisters. The work of mentoring is extremely important in Polk County. The mission of Big Brothers Big Sisters is to create and support one-to-one mentoring relationships that ignite the power & promise of youth. The vision is for all youth to achieve their full potential. They have been mentoring since 1904 and BBBS of Tampa Bay was founded in 1964. They are in all 50 states and 12 countries. Of those 2,400 littles that have been matched for at least one year, 99% were promoted to the next grade level, 98% had no involvement with the Juvenile Justice System, 97% maintained or improved their educational aspirations, 96% improved their social competence and social acceptance, and 94% maintained or improved their academic performance. Who are the littles that they serve? 59% female, 41% male. 76% youth of black, indigenous, and people of color, and 24% white. 63% are 13 or older and 37% are younger than 13 years old. 87% receive free or reduced lunch from school. 65% of littles live in single-parent households. 25% of littles have one or more family members in jail, prison, on parole, or on probation. What a big provides them is to be a reliable and supportive friend, a positive and authentic role model, and an adult ally.
 

 
They have both community-based programs and site-based programs. The community-based program is at 15-month minimum commitment and they must commit an average of 8 hours a month (prefer at least 2 outings – no more than 15 hours).
 
Rick Maxey spoke about his little and his experience as a big in this program. Rick has been in the program for about a year and a half. He said its extremely important that kids have adults in their lives that want to be there for them. It’s a very impactful role. Rick gave an overview of what he does with his little, and how they’ve set goals. Rick strongly encourages everyone to be a mentor.
 

 
They also have Site Based Programs that take place at seven different elementary schools. The big commits to spending one hour a week with them during the student’s lunch or after school time.
 
One other program they have is a School to Work mentoring program. High school students are mentored for two years in the workplace. They meet with students at the sites one day a month. They also have a Bigs in Blue/Bigs with Badges program which connects youth with police, first responders, and other members of the justice system in their community.
 
Please consider getting involved to be a mentor. Additionally, you can purchase a BBBS license plate. Also, consider volunteering or seeing if your company matches donations. One more way to get involved is to refer a little if you know someone who would be a good fit for one of the programs. On August 29^th, 2023, consider attending the Summer BBBS Breakfast honoring Senator Colleen Burton at the Advent Health Fieldhouse in Winter Haven.
 
Email Angie at AngieP@bbbstampabay.org for more details!
 

 
Thank you Angie for speaking to our club and for the impact you are making with kids in our community!
 
President Julie made some quick announcements bout the Fellowship Social & School Supply Drive on 8/22, The Twilight 5k at Common Ground Park, and the Annual Rotary Golf Tournament. Please consider attending and donating your time, energy, or school supplies (for the Fellowship Social event).
 
Next week’s club is Danielle Drummond with Lakeland Regional Health.
 
President Julie concluded the program with paraprosdokian – “Knowledge is knowing, tomato is a fruit, and wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.”

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President Julie Townsend called the meeting to order. Bill Mutz then led the invocation, pledge, and Four-Way Test.     Billy Strickland introduced the guests and visiting Rotarians. Rebecca Fortier was a guest of Scott LaRonde,  Ella Walls was a guest of member Amanda Walls, Brenda Alvarez was a guest of Marsha Leap,  Emma Mutz was a guest of Bill Mutz,...

President Julie Townsend called the meeting to order. Bill Mutz then led the invocation, pledge, and Four-Way Test.
 

 
Billy Strickland introduced the guests and visiting Rotarians. Rebecca Fortier was a guest of Scott LaRonde,  Ella Walls was a guest of member Amanda Walls, Brenda Alvarez was a guest of Marsha Leap,  Emma Mutz was a guest of Bill Mutz, and Idalice Stokes was a guest of Gina Tullio.  Our visiting Rotarians were Glenn Folsom, Lee Earls, Kaytlyn Mason, Paul Hatfield, Judy Hatfield, and Jim Steinbauer.
 
Happy Dollars were collected by Carol Hornsby. Dorsey Hightower then led the Club in singing.
 
President Julie announced that Mike Stasiak retired as our chef. Bill, Tom, and James will now be taking care of us for lunch. Bill has asked us to complete a survey so that he knows our club’s favorite and least favorite meal options.
 
Vince Jones introduced today’s program which is on Rotary’s Impact through the Twilight 5K. Vince introduced our two speakers, John Scott from Lakeland South Rotary, and Pam Page, director of the Lakeland Parks and Recreation Department. Vince presented John with an award for his dedication to the Twilight 5K over the years.
 

 
John told the story of how Common Ground Park came to be. He said that several years ago parents of special needs children visited an inclusive park in Brandon and decided that we needed one here in Lakeland. Four Lakeland Rotary clubs worked together and raised over $300,000. Each year, Rotary hosts the annual run in February to further fund the park. There are monthly meetings for members of the committee, who are from all four clubs. Thank you to John for your service to our community and leadership for the 5K.
 
Our second speaker was Pam Page. Pam brought Bob Donahay with her who is also from the Lakeland Parks and Recreation Department. The park opened in 2009. But the 1st meeting to develop the park was in March 2004 so this is the 20th anniversary of planning for the park. The goal was for inclusive play, to be able to play side by side, eliminating physical and social barriers to encourage play together. The park was designed to celebrate the diversity of each child, who are each different just like a butterfly – no 2 are just alike. The City was supportive and budgeted $600,000 toward inclusive play. Construction was to cost $1.9 million so the community stepped up. Rotary was the first group to come forward to pledge funds to build the park. The city selected a site in central Lakeland to build the park – it is over an acre of land with a natural grade change. The operating and maintenance cost is $259,647 annually. Play equipment repairs and replacement cost is $40,331 annually. Since 2009, the funds from the run have been donated to the fund for Common Ground, held at GiveWell. To date, Rotary has donated $167,785 from the Twilight Run to that fund. Future needs of the park include replacing artificial grass playground surfacing (estimated in 2025) and the space net play feature replacement.
 
Our third speaker was Vince Jones who discussed the Twilight 5k committee and goals for 2024. The date of the 2024 race is February 9, 2024 beginning at 7:00 p.m. for the 20th Annual Twilight 5K, at Lake Hollingsworth. Our goal is to raise $20,000 to donate to the playground. There are four Rotary Clubs that are involved: our club, Lakeland South, Sunrise, and TigerTown. Vince recognized past and current members of the Twilight 5K Committee. Our club’s current committee members are: Vince, Greg Shell, and Scott LaRonde. If you are interested in sponsoring, reach out to Scott LaRonde. The sponsorship levels are Presenting sponsorship level for $5,000+, Monarch sponsorship level for $1,000, Butterfly sponsorship level for $600, and Play-Scape sponsorship level for $200.
 
The fourth speaker was Lee Earls of Lakeland South who presented on volunteer opportunities. Lee asked for you to consider being a part of the committee. They meet on the first Friday of each month from 7-8 a.m. at Kelly Rec. Or maybe you could consider being the lead on some of the tasks that need to be completed for the race. They also need a lot of volunteers for race day such as: set up at the park (luminaries, registration on-site, packet pickup, parking, food & beverages, kids’ run, kids’ bounce house, course monitors and timers, passing out medals at the finish line, breakdown, etc. Contact a committee member or your Club leadership to find out how to get involved.
 

 
Next week’s club is Angie Pattison with the Big Brothers Big Sisters.
 
President Julie concluded the program with paraprosdokian – “We never really grow up. We only learn how to act in public.

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Thank you to everyone who attended the Rotary Anniversary Dinner last week. It was a wonderful event - congratulations to all who were recognized. Below are a few of the highlights. To view all of the pictures from this event, please use the link that follows at the end. For...

Thank you to everyone who attended the Rotary Anniversary Dinner last week. It was a wonderful event - congratulations to all who were recognized. Below are a few of the highlights. To view all of the pictures from this event, please use the link that follows at the end.
















For additional pictures from the dinner, use the link below:
Link to Pictures


 

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President Julie Townsend called the meeting to order. Bill Mutz then led the invocation, pledge, and Four-Way Test. Kim Brunson introduced the guests and visiting Rotarians. Happy Dollars were collected by Annette Davies. Irma Cole presented about Rotary Fellowships, which are groups of any interested individuals who connect to explore...

President Julie Townsend called the meeting to order. Bill Mutz then led the invocation, pledge, and Four-Way Test.

Kim Brunson introduced the guests and visiting Rotarians. Happy Dollars were collected by Annette Davies.



Irma Cole presented about Rotary Fellowships, which are groups of any interested individuals who connect to explore shared interests in: recreational activities, hobbies, sports, vocations, and rotary history and culture. Membership in a fellowship is open to any interested individual and you can join or apply online. There are many different fellowships with everything from Bowling and Camping to Tea Lovers and Music. Fellowships are meant to be engaging and fun, another great way to interact with Rotarians from around the world.



Rotary Action Groups (RAG) are groups organized internationally by Rotarians, Rotaractors, and Peace Fellows with professional experience and subject matter expertise in a specific concentration. RAG's help clubs and districts plan and implement large-scale projects in a particular area of service.

Irma introduced Barbara Howard, a Rotarian from the FishHawk-Riverview club who is a part of the Mental Health Initiatives Rotary Action Group. This RAG's mission is to break stigma, raise awareness, and increase capacity for treatment and prevention. Barbara's nephew died by suicide at age 21 in 2018 due to CTE and she has been a part of the Don't Bottle It Up Campaign to help individuals seek medical treatment since then. Barbara has been a part of the Mental Health Initiatives RAG since joining Rotary two years ago and she works closely with doctors and medical professionals to help raise awareness and increase capacity for mental health services in Florida and beyond.




President Julie concluded the meeting with her “paraprosdokian” of the week “I’m great at multi-tasking. I can waste time, be unproductive, and procrastinate all at once.”
 

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Amanda Walls presided over the meeting for President Julie Townsend, who was out sick. Scott LaRonde did the opening thoughts. Tom Conger did the introduction of guests and visiting Rotarians: Kathy Abels brought her husband Bruce Abels Lyle Philipson brought his wife Carole Philipson No visiting Rotarians Linda Wiggs did Happy...

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President Julie Townsend called the meeting to order. Greg Robinson then led the invocation, pledge, and Four-Way Test. Tamara Roberts introduced the guests and visiting Rotarians. Happy Dollars were collected by Michelle Harvey. Announcements began with Jessica Kirby  who provided a Spring Obsession update. In our 21st year doing the...

President Julie Townsend called the meeting to order. Greg Robinson then led the invocation, pledge, and Four-Way Test.

Tamara Roberts introduced the guests and visiting Rotarians. Happy Dollars were collected by Michelle Harvey.



Announcements began with Jessica Kirby  who provided a Spring Obsession update. In our 21st year doing the event, we raised $15,698.12 which will be going to Southwest Elementary & Middle Schools. Next years event is March 8, 2025 - save the date! She is looking for committee members.



President Julie Townsend then gave an update on dues – you recently received an email explaining financials - dues are sent via Dacdb. On the Ignite app, there is a pay button for paying dues.  You can also pay in the email link/invoice you received. You cannot pay your dues on the back table. She also announced that for the Annual rotary dinner, you can pay via back table or the ignite app. Tickets are $65. Can also pay via check for the event or dues.

Reba Coil then told the story of how the Southwest Elementary & Middle School partnership came to be. Reba is a community liaison for Polk County schools. One of the things she helped set up was the “Adopt a School program”. Melody Rider, Steph Colon, Jen Lay, and others were involved in putting this together. The initiative is called Partners in Education - money isn’t just the answer. Time & talent matters. It’s also a two way street. Reba then introduced Julie Sloan - Principal at Southwest Elementary and Stephanie Huber - Assistant Principal at Southwest Middle.

Julie (SWE) began by thanking the club and providing an overview of Southwest Elementary. There are 380 students and 29 teachers. The school has a 6.6% homeless rate and is on a 100% free & reduced lunch & breakfast program. Funding has helped pay teachers to work longer to collaborate & strategize on their lesson plans which has further impacted students in a positive way. In November, they did the Great American Teach In & a number of our clubs members participated.  They started doing Academy Night in partnership with Jen Lay which helps bridge students between SW Elementary & Southwest Middle. They also started doing an after school dance club for their students. Many of their students have talents that are not utilized because their parents are limited financially or with transportation to get them to other activities. Our club has also helped them with beautifying their campus. Students helped plant flowers around the time of Spring Obsession and they were also able to replace their picnic tables. They will also be turning one of their empty classrooms into a staff break room. Our club also donated funds and gifts for Christmas Gift Giving for their students. They try to show their teachers how much they appreciate them. They have been able to use some funding to show their teachers their appreciation. At spring obsession, they got to go to the event and interview attendees and some of the things going on at the event. They produced a marketing video for our club for spring obsession. One of the ways they would love to partner with Rotary this next year is a clothes closet. Their kids need bigger sizes throughout the year as they grow and get bigger.



Stephanie Huber (Southwest Middle) then gave some information about her school. They have 745 students, 42 teachers, 3% homeless, and 100% free/reduced lunch. They just opened a new building! One of the things they partnered with was Lunch & Learns - many have come out and shared their story and career with the students. Several Rotarians attended the ribbon cutting of their new beautiful campus. They started doing a PBIS incentive (positive behavioral interventions and support) to reward students doing the right thing. We helped purchase portable desks for staff so that their staff can be positioned around campus to monitor and supervise students. We also helped provide support for teachers - time is the most valuable resource we can help provide. PIE funds were used to help feed their teachers and do professional development. We also helped give Christmas gifts to students and kids. Their students also helped volunteer at spring obsession. For this next year they would like to use funding to help create a calming room at the school.



President Julie concluded the meeting with her “paraprosdokian” of the week “education is not preparation for life, education is life itself.”
 

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President Julie Townsend called the meeting to order. Irma Cole then led the invocation, pledge, and Four-Way Test. Ron Denney introduced the guests and visiting Rotarians. Happy Dollars were collected by Tammi Crotteau. Announcements began with Dan Hill announcing that he is looking for program committee members for the upcoming...

President Julie Townsend called the meeting to order. Irma Cole then led the invocation, pledge, and Four-Way Test.

Ron Denney introduced the guests and visiting Rotarians. Happy Dollars were collected by Tammi Crotteau.

Announcements began with Dan Hill announcing that he is looking for program committee members for the upcoming year. Please contact Dan if you are interested. Gary Clark then gave a Flight to Honor recap and presented two Flight to Honor shirts to Jason Wyatt and to our President Julie Townsend for their efforts. Ron Denney presented Paul Harris Fellow Awards to Dan Hill (1^st) and Dean Heart (7^th). President Julie Townsend then presented Red Badges to Glen Oufett, Tamara Roberts, Sam Ryder, and Michelle Harvey. She also reminded club members that annual dues are available to be paid through the Ignite App.





The program for the day was Member Profiles.

Mike Beckham is a two-year Rotarian and was born in Southwest Georgia. He grew up on a farm, played in the middle school band. He once met Ringo Starr on a trip to England. He graduated in 1975 from Georgia Tech. He has worked for Georgia Power, Alabama Power, among others, and has been with Lakeland Electric since 2015.



Josie Hill was born in Wisconsin and lived with her grandmother. She grew up in a Christian & spiritual household which shaped who she was. She had a full scholarship, but her church didn’t believe in higher education, so she became a full-time church employee. A few years later, she went to school, paid for it herself, and earned her degree in Psychology. She has two girls who are 25 and 27 as well as two grandsons.



President Julie concluded the meeting with her “paraprosdokian” of the week “give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach him how to fish and he will sit in a boat and drink beer all day.”
 

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Past President Amanda Walls called the meeting to order. Karen Warren then led the invocation, pledge, and Four-Way Test. Irma Cole introduced the guests and visiting Rotarians. Happy Dollars were collected by Kim Brunson. Announcements began with a reminder that Tuesday April 30th is Flight to Honor event. The flight...

Past President Amanda Walls called the meeting to order. Karen Warren then led the invocation, pledge, and Four-Way Test.
Irma Cole introduced the guests and visiting Rotarians. Happy Dollars were collected by Kim Brunson.



Announcements began with a reminder that Tuesday April 30^th is Flight to Honor event. The flight is scheduled to arrive home around 7:30 but get out there early since they are expecting 8,000 people. Also, we have an opportunity for one Rotarian + spouse (1 more couple) for Rotary fellowship program. This includes 5 nights with one host family and 5 nights with another host family. All you are responsible is for your airfare to/from England. For more information, contact Martha Lou Luce. Another announcement was made highlighting that Vince Jones brought back a flag from the Prague Rotary Club.

Rick Maxey introduced the program for the day which was the Rotary Club Scholarship speeches. The program helps five young Polk County School graduates attend college or continue their education. Each scholarship is worth $1,000. Each student was introduced by Rick Maxey and then given two minutes to speak.

• Keyshawn Blythers, LHS - will attend Bethune Cookman University to study psychology and criminal justice; will play the euphonium in the band there
• Ava Campbell, GIHS - will attend UF to study criminology and hopefully will go to law school after that to be a juvenile defense attorney one day
• Meredith Colbert-Cartwight, Harrison School for the Arts - will attend USF to study in their music department
• Quinn Joseph, GJHS - will attend Polk State College to follow his dream and study filmmaking and get his AA then transfer to UF
• Cachet Kirkland, Harrison School for the Arts - will be attending SCAD to major in film & TV

Congratulations to each of the recipients!

Past President Amanda concluded with her vocabulary word of the day which was “rivulet” which means a very small stream as in “rivulets descend my plastic smile” from “My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys” by Taylor Swift.
 

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President Julie Townsend called the meeting to order. Greg Robinson then led the invocation, pledge, and Four-Way Test. Melody Rider introduced the guests and visiting Rotarians. Happy Dollars were collected by Larry Becker. Vince Jones announced we raised $20,000 from the Rotary Twilight 5k for the City of Lakeland Common...

President Julie Townsend called the meeting to order. Greg Robinson then led the invocation, pledge, and Four-Way Test.



Melody Rider introduced the guests and visiting Rotarians. Happy Dollars were collected by Larry Becker.

Vince Jones announced we raised $20,000 from the Rotary Twilight 5k for the City of Lakeland Common Ground Park. Reba Coil announced an upcoming Bingo Night April 23 at The Back Nine and PCPS commitment day.





Rick Maxey introduced our speaker for the day, Carmen Walker with Heartland for Children. She personally has been fostering for seven years and cared for over 20 kids. Heartland serves kids and families in Polk, Highlands, and Hardee counties. Reunification is their first goal (reunifying kids with parents, grandparents, or guardian) but if that is not an option then adoption is the next goal. They have been working with K-12 and college schools to address student's holistic needs, with everything from counseling to after school activities. Thank you Carmen for sharing with our club, and for the work you are doing to help kids in need.





President Julie concluded the meeting with her “paraprosdokian” of the week “there are three kinds of people in the world – those who can count, and those who can’t.”
 

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President Julie Townsend called the meeting to order. Kristen Hathcock then led the invocation, pledge, and Four-Way Test. Carol Catanzarite introduced the guests and visiting Rotarians. Happy Dollars were collected by Melody Rider. Marsha Leap mentioned the Seminar for Tomorrow’s Leader’s program this summer at FSC. We need to send...

President Julie Townsend called the meeting to order. Kristen Hathcock then led the invocation, pledge, and Four-Way Test.

Carol Catanzarite introduced the guests and visiting Rotarians. Happy Dollars were collected by Melody Rider.

Marsha Leap mentioned the Seminar for Tomorrow’s Leader’s program this summer at FSC. We need to send two rising seniors to this program. Please let Marsha know if you have any potential candidates. Reba Coil mentioned the upcoming Bingo Night on April 23 at The Back Nine. Additionally, coming up soon is commitment day for Polk county seniors - if you’re interested in supporting any of the seniors, please contact Reba. They need supplies.



Karen Warren introduced speaker for today – Kevin Cook  who is the Director of Communication for the City of Lakeland. He’s been here for over 30 years and oversees PR, marketing, internal communication & external communication.



Kevin’s presentation focused on the Lakeland swans. By 1926, Lakeland had a swan population of 20 and Lakeland had a swan department. In the 1929’s Lakeland had swans in almost every lake. However, they were the target of prays & by 1954, the last swan passed away and the city was swan-less.

A Lakeland resident living in Europe as a result of the war, sent a letter to Queen Elizabeth II. She responded to the request by donating a pair of swans to the city. Lakeland received two swans of the royal flock for a total of $300 which included permits, transportation, etc.



The city struggled to raise the funds and an anonymous donor donated the $300. There was an Oil spill which impacted the swans and it took five months to restore them to good health.

The Lakeland ledger followed this story. They hosted a “name the swan” contest and held a big welcoming event for the swans.
The next day, only the female swan could be found. The search began for the male swan who was found a few days later. Something happened to the male bird and was fatally injured. The city then had to search for a mate for the female. She selected a “commoner” as her mate (not a royal swan).

WG Gardner was the original swan vet who began caring them in the 1950’s. The swan round up began in 1980 so the birds can be looked into, cared for, and tracked. It’s a two day event and takes place in October. During the last swan round up, Lakeland had 50 swans (27 mute, 17 Australian black swan, 5 Merle, and 1 black neck swan).

Thank you Kevin, for speaking to our club!




 

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President Julie Townsend called the meeting to order. Scott LaRonde then led the invocation, pledge, and Four-Way Test. Meggie Hoeft introduced the guests and visiting Rotarians. Happy Dollars were collected by Melody Rider. Don Selvage began announcements by mentioning that March 29th is Vietnam War Veterans Day and on Saturday,...

President Julie Townsend called the meeting to order. Scott LaRonde then led the invocation, pledge, and Four-Way Test.

Meggie Hoeft introduced the guests and visiting Rotarians. Happy Dollars were collected by Melody Rider.

Don Selvage began announcements by mentioning that March 29^th is Vietnam War Veterans Day and on Saturday, March 30^th, the city of Lakeland hosted a ceremony at Veterans Park.  Bobby Yates, the longtime CEO of Lakeland Volunteers in Medicine and a Vietnam War Veteran was the speaker.

Rick Maxey introduced our speakers for the day, Andrew Jenkins & Jeff Grillin. Two other panelists, Regina James & Vicky Whitehurst-Walker, were unable to attend due to sickness. Rick went to school at Ocoee High School with all four of the presenters. They were one of the first classes to be integrated at Ocoee High School where they graduated in 1974. The topic for the program was “Integration of Public Schools in Florida in the late 1960’s.” Andrew and Rick met in the 4^th grade and they both also attended Troy University together. Rick and Jeff Grillin have known each other since the 8^th grade.



While Vicky was unable to attend, she sent in some of her thoughts to be read to our club.  Her comments focused on the first day of 8th grade where she realized there were lots of new students who looked different than her. She quickly befriended some of her new friends and she loved their “cool” style. She told the story of her lifelong friend “Leo.” Many of the upperclassmen at her school didn’t appreciate integration. She didn’t see much hate or issues in the 8th grade, although it was much more prevalent in the high school. She said they were “the class that changed the past” at Ocoee High School. She was raised differently than a lot of kids and for that she’s grateful. Her parents didn’t see color, and she took that to heart.



Jeff echoed a lot of what Vicky said. His father was born on a farm and his mother was of Cuban descent via Miami. He was exposed to prejudice in school - he was shy in school and was more of a follower. The environment of living in a white neighborhood & going to a white school made integration uncomfortable. There was fear that existed at that time. There were some fights that happened those first few years. He said what became clear after going to school together was that the only difference was their skin- they shared more things in common than differences. He told a story of having his first black teacher who taught geography & bonding over a shared love of food.

Andrew Jenkins provided some background on his childhood education & how excited they were to go to Drew High School. They were sad to learn they would have to go to a different school. The black community was split into two different high schools. So much of your integration experience related to your family background & how you were raised. He often experienced people watching him in stores thinking he was going to steal stuff. He mentioned integration happened quickly - what he learned was that these guys were okay & they built intimate relationships with his teammates through sports.



Rick concluded by telling a story about a white girl he went to school with. He walked her home one day to make sure she was okay after a bad day at school - when he got home, her mom was livid and scared for Rick’s safety. His Mom had already received word. Rick never saw the girl again. Her dad was the local pastor and was forced out of town because of that. The girl reached out to Rick about 10 years ago and reconnected and shared what happened.

Thank you Rick, Andrew, Jeff, Vicky and Regina for sharing your powerful stories with our club.

President Julie concluded the meeting with her “paraprosdokian” of the week, “courage is what it takes to stand up & speak. It’s also what it takes to sit down & listen.”


 

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President Julie Townsend called the meeting to order. Dan Hill then led the invocation, pledge, and Four-Way Test. Steph Colon introduced the guests and visiting Rotarians. Happy Dollars were collected by Richard Widick. President Julie reminded the club to go sign up for volunteer roles for upcoming Rotary Programs. We...

President Julie Townsend called the meeting to order. Dan Hill then led the invocation, pledge, and Four-Way Test.

Steph Colon introduced the guests and visiting Rotarians. Happy Dollars were collected by Richard Widick.

President Julie reminded the club to go sign up for volunteer roles for upcoming Rotary Programs. We need additional volunteers to help each week! Sign up on our website.

Irma Cole introduced the program “Transforming La Paz” and introduced of Rotarians who went on the trip to Honduras in February. Irma also introduced Jonathan Zelaya who is the President of “Honduras Compassion Partners” which is Rotary’s partner in Honduras. Jonathan founded the Rotary Club in Honduras as well. Jonathan gave us a powerful presentation and video on his team, their mission, and impact. A few highlights include:

• 14.8% of the people in Honduras live for less than $1.90/day. 60% of people have no access to clean water or sanitation.
• Their mission is to transform the city of La Paz
• They try to buy as many materials & supplies from La Paz/Honduras so that they can further stimulate the economy.
• They provide water filters, pilas, latrines, wooden houses.
• They also provide an adult high school education program. They are looking for sponsors for the program.

Our Club’s Honduras trip participants & Irma then shared stories & feedback on the trip. Deborah Williams shared from her experience and encouraged  others to consider going on future trips to La Paz! The next trip will be from June 29 through July 6, 2024.






 

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President Julie Townsend called the meeting to order. Greg Robinson then led the invocation, pledge, and Four-Way Test. Steph Colon introduced the guests and visiting Rotarians. Happy Dollars were collected by Scott LaRonde. Mike Loudon led us in singing, Matt Schichtel announced the fantasy football winners for the past year (Josie Hill &...

President Julie Townsend called the meeting to order. Greg Robinson then led the invocation, pledge, and Four-Way Test.
Steph Colon introduced the guests and visiting Rotarians. Happy Dollars were collected by Scott LaRonde. Mike Loudon led us in singing,

Matt Schichtel announced the fantasy football winners for the past year (Josie Hill & Xuchitl Coso)- congrats to everyone on a great season! Jessica Kirby reminded everyone to bring bubbles (Champagne/Prosecco) for Spring Obsession on March 9th. Another announcement was about a Trivia Night coming up on March 21^st at the Back Nine!



The program for the day was a Rotary Town Hall.  This included an update/training on the Ignite App, games such as "Get to Know a Rotarian," and the completion of a Rotary Self Assessment.




President Julie concluded the meeting with her “paraprosdokian” of the week “From what we get, we can make a living; what we give, however, makes a life."
 

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President Julie Townsend called the meeting to order. Scott LaRonde then led the invocation, pledge, and Four-Way Test. Tammi Crotteau introduced the guests and visiting Rotarians. Happy Dollars were collected by Dawn Lyons. Mike Loudon led us in singing “You Are My Sunshine.” Reba Coil began announcements by mentioning that...

President Julie Townsend called the meeting to order. Scott LaRonde then led the invocation, pledge, and Four-Way Test.
Tammi Crotteau introduced the guests and visiting Rotarians. Happy Dollars were collected by Dawn Lyons. Mike Loudon led us in singing “You Are My Sunshine.”

Reba Coil began announcements by mentioning that we are participating in the Southwest Middle School ribbon cutting event on March 4^th. Additionally, we watched a Spring Obsession preview video made by students at Southwest Elementary School. They will be participating in Spring Obsession. We also have a Trivia Night coming up on March 21^st at the Back Nine!



Jessica Kirby reminded everyone about Spring Obsession coming up on March 9^th – we need “bubbles” donations for mimosas. Please consider donating. President Julie reminded everyone to keep Scott Folsom in your thoughts and prayers – he has leukemia. Please consider donating funds to assist his family in traveling in to see him.

Melody Rider introduced our speaker for the day, Fred Heid. Fred is the Polk County School District Superintendent.



Fred began by mentioning that Florida has a new assessment program - they test kids 3x/yr. There are students who are behind, but are “closing the gap”. Fred mentioned that they have tripled the number of A graded schools and doubled the number of B schools. Polk County had 45 level D schools when he began and now have 9 level D schools. Fred reiterated that we are moving in the right direction as a county. In 2020-2021, we had 9 F rated schools and we now have 0. We are a C rated school district and are only 3% away from being a B rated school system.



Fred mentioned that leadership matters and Fred really cares about having the right people in the right roles. He also discussed the growth in the district - 7,200 increase in students from last year which is roughly 4 high school campuses. They are projected to have 127,500 students next year in the school system.



Thank you, Fred, for your work to improve education in Polk County and for speaking to our club.

President Julie concluded the meeting with her “paraprosdokian” of the week “the only thing that interferes with my learning is my education” -Einstein.
 

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President Julie Townsend called the meeting to order. Irma Cole then led the invocation, pledge, and Four-Way Test. She also introduced the group going on the Honduras trip. Xuchitl Coso introduced the guests and visiting Rotarians. Happy Dollars were collected by Scott Katz. Mike Loudon led us in singing “Let...

President Julie Townsend called the meeting to order. Irma Cole then led the invocation, pledge, and Four-Way Test. She also introduced the group going on the Honduras trip.

Xuchitl Coso introduced the guests and visiting Rotarians. Happy Dollars were collected by Scott Katz. Mike Loudon led us in singing “Let me Call you Sweetheart.”

Announcements began with mentioning that Scott Fulson is in the hospital – we are sending him our best wishes. Vince Jones said that we had over 280 runners at the Rotary Twilight 5K and also had wonderful support for the run. Reba Coil mentioned that in March there will be a Rotary Trivia Night social event. Jessica Kirby reminded the club about the upcoming Spring Obsession Event. Mark Scolnick was recently recognized by Rotary for his service towards ending Polio and Polio Plus. Thank you Mark for your efforts!



Rick Maxey introduced our speaker, Lakeland Commissioner Stephanie Madden. Stephanie discussed the Florida Poly Innovation District and her efforts to get this project off the ground. The land for the project was former phosphate mined land and is privately owned. The idea for the Innovation District is to have a live, work, and play area that attracts businesses and residents. Lakeland is committed to improving this corridor and providing infrastructure/networks to ensure its success. Thank you, Stephanie, for your contributions to our city and for speaking to our club.





President Julie concluded the meeting with her “paraprosdokian” of the week “A woman is like a teabag, you can’t tell how strong she is until you put her in hot water.”
 

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President Julie Townsend called the meeting to order. Larry Rankin then led the invocation, pledge, and  Four-Way Test. Ron Denney introduced the guests and visiting Rotarians. Happy Dollars were collected by Meggie Hoeft. Mike Loudon led us in singing “Smile and the World Smiles Back at You.” Jessica Kirby reminded...

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President Julie Townsend called the meeting to order. Don Selvage then led the invocation, pledge, and Four-Way Test. Scott LaRonde introduced the guests and visiting Rotarians. Happy Dollars were collected by Beth Ann Noles. Reba Coil began announcements by mentioning that we are having a Cocktails & Conversation event on...

President Julie Townsend called the meeting to order. Don Selvage then led the invocation, pledge, and Four-Way Test.



Scott LaRonde introduced the guests and visiting Rotarians. Happy Dollars were collected by Beth Ann Noles.

Reba Coil began announcements by mentioning that we are having a Cocktails & Conversation event on Tuesday, Feb 13^th at the downstairs Speakeasy at Fresco’s. We will be learning to make cocktails and tapas. $60 per person - bring your spouse! Irma Cole announced that Cathy McGee is going on the National Immunization Day trip to India. She leaves on the 29th. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers. Additionally, a group of 14 people are going to Honduras. They leave on Feb 17th. Additionally, our club needs to raise $1,000 for Honduras Compassion Partners prior to the trip – contact Irma if you would like to donate.

Mark Scolnick recognized the work of Amanda Walls, Ron Denney, and Bryce Philpot with our club’s donations to the Rotary Foundation. Bryce Philpot mentioned that our club’s total giving to the Rotary Foundation is over $81,000. 35% of the club has donated and 65% have not. Our goal is 100% participation. Contact Bryce for more information on how to give.



Richard Widick mentioned that the Spring Obsession Committee is looking for more volunteers. Contact Richard if you would like to get involved.

President Julie then led the club in completing our Rotary Board Ballots.

Josie Hill introduced our speaker for the day, her husband Dan Hill.



Dan spoke on the topic “Now that we are home” business opportunities for post-retirement special operations forces offices.

Dan began by focusing on why he feels passionately about this topic. He retired in 2021 from MacDill Air Force base. He took seven months off to decide what to do after retirement. He then submitted around fifty resumes and got one interview. That role wound up never opening up. That process opened his eyes to this issue. His goal today is to open doors for others, so they don’t have to go through the same situation that he went through upon retirement.

He then gave an overview of Army Special Forces versus Special Operations Forces. Army Special Forces are the Green Berets. That’s just the Army. The Special Operations Forces (SOFs) includes special operations from all the other branches of the military (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, etc.).

For background, most of the SOFs retiring from MacDill are in their 40-50s after starting in their early 20’s. $172k/yr is the typical salary that they are making when retiring. Please consider hiring SOFs - they are exceptional leaders, high achievers, and accountable. The term “HOW” stands for hire our warriors.

His pitch and passion is to establish the Special Operations Transition Coalition - Lakeland (SOTC-L). Contact him for more information.  Thank you to Dan for speaking to our club and for all of your efforts!



President Julie concluded the meeting with her “paraprosdokian” of the week “two wrongs don’t make a right, three lefts do.”
 

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President Julie Townsend called the meeting to order. Linda Jezard then led the invocation, pledge, and Four-Way Test. Linda Wiggs introduced the guests and Visiting Rotarians. Happy Dollars were collected by Frances Hadley Ervin. President Julie reminded everyone of the items needed for the Honduras trip – please check your...

President Julie Townsend called the meeting to order. Linda Jezard then led the invocation, pledge, and Four-Way Test.



Linda Wiggs introduced the guests and Visiting Rotarians. Happy Dollars were collected by Frances Hadley Ervin.

President Julie reminded everyone of the items needed for the Honduras trip – please check your tables. She also asked that if anyone is interested in being on the Rotary Board of Directors for Marsha Leap’s term, please submit your name to Beth Hesseltine. Jessica Kirby reminded the club about Spring Obsession on March 9^th – they are still looking for sponsors and volunteers for the event.

Vince Jones reminded everyone about the upcoming Rotary 5K – they have enough sponsors but are still seeking volunteers. There is a sign up sheet in the back.



President Julie introduced Stephen Willis with Teen Court. He is excited that he has been elected as State President this year to oversee all Teen Court. Teen Court is a juvenile diversion program set up by court administration, which allows teenagers to resolve juvenile court cases outside the court system. Youthful offenders are less likely to re-offend when punishment is decided by a jury of their peers. Many of the misdemeanor or minor felony cases are sent directly to teen court by law enforcement. This allows young people to bypass the traditional juvenile court process, thereby eliminating or minimizing a damaging criminal record.

If a case goes through the regular court process, there is a minimum court cost of $250, for teen court it's $75. In 2023, Teen Court had 1,179 cases referred from the juvenile court in Polk County (over 80 felony related cases). Polk County is the largest teen court in the state, because we get referrals from other counties. The true definition of juvenile is 17 years old and under.

Stephen’s recidivism success rate (clients not re-offending within a two-year period) is 99.15%. He attributes this to the parents of Polk County.  Stephen noted a few success stories of children going through teen court and are now very successful in their careers and lives since they don’t have a record through the court system.



Thank you, Stephen, for presenting to our Club!

President Julie concluded the meeting with her “paraprosdokian” of the week “common sense is like deodorant – people who need it most never use it.”
 

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President Julie Townsend called the meeting to order. Irma Cole then led the invocation, pledge, and Four-Way Test. Steph Colon introduced the guests and visiting Rotarians and collected Happy Dollars. President Julie then welcomed new members to our club and presented their Blue Badges to make them official. Congrats to...

President Julie Townsend called the meeting to order. Irma Cole then led the invocation, pledge, and Four-Way Test.



Steph Colon introduced the guests and visiting Rotarians and collected Happy Dollars.

President Julie then welcomed new members to our club and presented their Blue Badges to make them official. Congrats to all and welcome to the club.



Chuck Barmby, City Transportation Planner for the City of Lakeland presented “Getting Around Lakeland.” Key Issues that are being addressed include Vision Zero Safety Goal, Rapid Growth, Transportation Options & Connectivity, Comprehensive Plan LOS Standards, Funding Constraints Vs Competing Demands, Legacy Priority Projects, and Freight & Goods Movement.

The growth areas being evaluated and studied are Southwest Lakeland (homes and central park), Northwest Lakeland (Gibson Trails, LG Village, Lakeland Square Mall, and Lakeland Regional Health NW Campus), Southeast Medical HUB (VA Clinic, Orlando Health, Forest Fraser Trail, and new transit service), and Downtown (new apartment complexes).

Chuck discussed the current and future roadway capacity due to all the growth and all the transportation projects to manage population growth. They are working through the following transportation projects: Drane Field/Waring, Additional Roundabouts, Edgewood expansion, Bonnet Springs, Lake Hunter Trails. Fort Frasier Trail, Brightline/Sunrail, Tenoroc Trail, State Road 33, South Florida Ave, Providence Road, US-92, and Downtown West.

The City has $300-400m of projects spanning from now until 2045. Thank you Chuck for speaking to our club and for the work you do to make our city better!



President Julie concluded the meeting.

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