New Evening Rotary Club Coming to Drive Shack

If you couldn’t make it to the morning or noon Rotary meetings, you’re in luck.

A third Rotary Club is forming right here in Lake Nona. The new group, known as the Rotary Evening Club, will be meeting the first and third Wednesdays of each month from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.

UPDATE: Rotary Club Informational meetings will be every Wednesday in August, 5:30-6:30 p.m. at Drive Shack. Come and discover the new Rotary Club.

There are already 40 members aboard the new Rotary Evening Club. The group also goes by the name “Action Club.”

The group will mainly be focusing on an anti-bullying program for students and military service projects.

“For more than 110 years, Rotary members have been addressing challenges around the world,” says Tweet Coleman, President of the Rotary Club. “At club meetings in communities across the globe, our people of action come together to strengthen their connections to friends and neighbors and their commitment to improving lives.”

The Rotary Foundation has six areas of focus:

• Peacebuilding and conflict prevention

• Disease prevention and treatment

• Water, sanitation and hygiene

• Maternal and child health

• Basic education and literacy

• Community economic development

Rotary Club’s Senior Major Gifts Officer, Debra Lowe, has been a part of Rotary for 20 years. “As part of a global network of people committed to improving their communities and beyond, I have been a part of local projects including preparing meals for residents of Lake Nona’s Ronald McDonald House, surprising people with random acts of kindness, providing books and mentoring to local elementary school children, and more,” says Lowe.

The general manager of Drive Shack, Dan Kirby, stated, “We’re looking forward to getting that started here, and we’re looking forward to [continuing] to impact the community.”

Rotary.org states there are a total of 1.2 million Rotarians and 35,000 clubs worldwide.

The Rotary Foundation’s signature project was the worldwide removal of polio. A total of 2.5 billion children received the disease’s vaccination since 1979.

In 2003, Rotary launched the Polio Eradication Fundraising Campaign. Their fundraising target was $80 million. The campaign accumulated $135 million.

A notable club feature is The Rotary International Convention. Rotarians from 130 different countries come together annually to celebrate the organization’s successes and to plan out future projects.

A 2020 Rotary Conference is expected to be held in Honolulu, Hawaii. Up to 27,000 Rotary members are anticipated to attend.

“My husband, Patrick, and I have done several Rotary International Volunteer projects. One of our favorites is serving in Chiang Mai, Thailand. We worked on a mobile dental clinic that provides treatment to the Karen people on the Thai-Myanmar border. The reward we feel seeing a five-year-old getting a rotten tooth pulled that has hurt her for months is priceless. The smiles and hugs we receive from the local people last a lifetime,” says Coleman.

NONA.MEDIA’s own Rhys Lynn will be a charter member of the new Rotary Club. He has also volunteered to create their website.

“I’m excited about the new club forming and being a part of it because a big part of what we do is help to create and encourage community where we live and hoping to promote good around the neighborhood and help local charities. It’s very much aligned with the values of our company and myself. Whatever we can do to help the new Rotary Club, we are going to definitely do,” Lynn stated.

Rotary Club members will be asked to pay club dues, attend at least two meetings per month and other service events, and use professional skills and talents to make a difference.