Rotary Club of Fort Myers South kicked off its 50th anniversary celebration at its annual installation dinner held at Crowne Plaza on Friday, June 15. In the spirit of the “Golden Oldies” the evening included a social hour, TV-dinner style buffet, Paul Harris roll call, and a musical journey through the decades with recognition of the clubs past presidents.
Rotary District Governor Sandra Hemstead and Past District Governor Pete Doragh installed the 2018-2019 club officers and board members. Before passing the gavel to incoming president Tracie Bagans, past president Greg Blurton reviewed highlights of his term and presented awards to outgoing leaders. During Bagans installation, Tracie was surrounded by the support of Rotary past presidents, family and friends who were in attendance.
The newly installed officers who will serve alongside Bagans for 2018-2019 include president elect Kerri Goldsmith, president elect nominee Suzi Ward, past president Greg Blurton, treasurer John Kozak, and secretary Steve Wassman. The club also welcomed new board members Randy Zavada, David Seitz and Jason Huff who will join returning board members Read Sawczyn, Pam Morrison, and Michael Dunn.
Over the past 50-years, Rotary Club of Fort Myers South has raised and donated hundreds of thousands of dollars for numerous causes such as The Heights Foundation, Child Care of Southwest Florida, Pine Manor Food Forest, Foundation for Lee County Schools, Alliance of the Arts, Blessings in a Backpack, and Mission of Mercy Dental Care. Club members also volunteered hundreds of thousands of hours for events such as the quarterly Adopt-a-Road Cleanup, Law & Order Ball, Scholar Athlete Banquet, Rotary South All-Star Classic, and Dictionary Day. Rotary Club of Fort Myers South has also collaborate with international Rotary clubs on humanitarian projects such as The Water Project in the Dominican Republic, providing more that fifty water filtration systems and the manpower to install them to some of the most remote mountainside areas.
Rotary Club of Fort Myers South
Rotary Club of Fort Myers South has more than 120 members who are among the 1.3 million Rotarians worldwide. Service Above Self is the motto of Rotary International, which has contributed more than $1.2 billion and tens of thousands of volunteer hours toward polio eradication in addition to projects such as water quality, world peace and literacy. Rotary Club of Fort Myers South meetings are held each Monday at noon at the Crowne Plaza Fort Myers at Bell Tower Shops hotel, 13051 Bell Tower Drive.