

Thank you for visiting the Rotary Club of Brandon's website. We are a group of community leaders coming together to exchange ideas and put them into action to make a lasting difference in our community and beyond. We have proudly served the Greater Brandon community for over 56 years raising over $1.6 million in charity support, doing countless service projects, impacting individuals, companies and organizations and creating positive change in our community. We are one of the more innovative Rotary Clubs in the area having been an integral force in starting Rotary's Camp Florida, having several prominent leaders who served as Past District Governors for Rotary, past Honorary Mayors of Brandon and having many of our members serve on prominent non-profit boards both in Brandon and the Greater Tampa Bay area. We invite you to learn more about becoming a part of our societal-impacting club by joining us for lunch on Tuesdays at noon at the Rivard - Simmons Rotary Event Center located at 3005 South Kings Avenue, Brandon.
The Rotary Club of Brandon had another awesome weekly meeting to kick off November as Jason Jackman from the University of South Florida's Center for Urban Transportation Research visited and engaged the entire club in an interactive game of "what do you know about transportation".
Sergeant at Arms Fred Schwabe kicked off the meeting by announcing to the club that he was flying with a wounded wing as he injured his rotator cuff washing dishes and will be undergoing another procedure. Jeff Reynolds, never at a loss for words, suggested we should address him as the Sargeant at ARM.
Alan Feldman was present and was recognized for 29 years with the same woman, Melanie, which the Club recognized as a miracle to Alan and great community service work from Melanie! Kelly & Tommy Odiorne celebrated their Silver Anniversary this month which is probably apropos to how many gray hairs Tommy has given to Kelly over the years!
Overall, it was a fantastic meeting with many Rotarians completely engaged throughout! The Seafood Fest is next on tap for the club, and Mike Edenfield and John Dwyer will have the pressure of preparing food for about 90 plus Rotarians on their hands. Should be fun!
Maria Lewis continued the good vibes as she was happy as she is going to be a grandmother again. Congrats, Maria! Coach Fernandez was thankful for the start of school and the new class of students that he gets to work with this year. Go get 'em, Coach!
After we shared all of the happiness we could stand, it was time for the main event and Coach Fernandez! Coach started out by saying he has known Jeff Reynolds for 16 years (which we said we wouldn't hold against him, even though this may be questionable judgment on his associations). His wife and Jeff’s wife went to the same High School in Hawaii. It was truly an example of what a small world it is!
Coach Fernandez is beginning his 17th season with USF. He started coaching when he was 27 years old. His first year coaching, they won four games, his second year they won 14 games, and now under his guidance, USF has advanced to 12 postseason tournaments, including four NCAA Tournament berths, one of which being the program's first-ever NCAA Tournament during the 2005-06 season. As a sign of the team's success, Coach Fernandez let us know that the USF Women’s Basketball Team outsells the Men’s team in average attendance. They average 2,500 fans for their games. The program's success has led to four women being drafted by the WNBA! The USF Women's Basketball Team is also very academic focused as the team has had a 100% graduation rate proving that they are winners on both the basketball court!
Susan Thomason ended the day by winning the chance for the 50-50 drawing, but drew the seven of hearts. We all knew she had a lot of heart!!
This week we'll be celebrating Troy Dimsdale's birthday, Leila & Chris Papp's 5th Anniversary, Norma & Derrell Curry's 23rd Anniversary, Troy Dimsdale's 16th Club Anniversary and President Elect Dave Brown's 5th Anniversary!!
Key Upcoming Dates:
Birthdays
Anniversaries
Club Anniversaries
All right Texas Hold 'Em experts, Roulette spinners, Black Jack double-downers and all around Casino crazies, the Rotary Club of Brandon's Annual Casino Night is here! Saturday, October 24th at the Brandon Sports and Aquatic Center is your place to give your inner risk taker a chance to shine. Whether you are an avid Texas Hold 'Em player, or you just like to dabble at the craps table or try your luck to beat the dealer to 21, the Brandon Rotary's Casino Night is your night! Food, drinks, plenty of games, a real live Texas Hold 'Em tournament as well as a Black Jack tournament all are there for the taking, and EVERY penny goes to the Rotary Club of Brandon's Charity Fund. There are chances to win prizes, and since it's for charity, EVERYONE WINS!
Anniversaries
What an awesome weekly club lunch we had at the Rotary Club of Brandon this week! Guest speaker Christine Michaels, Executive Director of the Greater Brandon Chamber of Commerce, was on hand to give the club an update of all of the outstanding programs such as the Chamber's Synergy Lunches,
Young Professional Leaders, Leadership Brandon and their paper and digital directory. Christine discussed some of the changes the Chamber is going through to better connect, educate and impact local small and major businesses. Way to go, Sheila Donalson for setting this up for us!
The club also welcomed Larry Guastella as a guest of Pat Skidmore, Stewart Collins a guest of Joe Campoamor and visiting Brandon South Rotarian Cathy Curry. Special guests Cade Rivard and David Sigler got their last free lunches on their sponsor's dimes as we will be inducting both of these future Rotarians into the Club on Tuesday, July 21st! This is always a special occasion, and the entire Club is looking forward to great contributions from both of these community leaders. John Sellers contributed to the Happy Dollar pot by telling us a little about his vacation, and Joe Campoamor let the club know that our former Rotary Youth Exchange student Maggie Thallinger is staying with the Campoamor family for a month since she will be a bridesmaid in Joe's son's upcoming wedding.
Fred Schwabe provided a great technology joke which was received with both laughter and relief that the joke was not a repeat. Come on Fred, bring the good stuff! Announcements included encouraging our Rotarians to reach out to Mike Meegan during his recover. There is no weekly meeting on Tuesday, August 11th since we will all be gathering at the BOCC meeting for the approval of the Rotary Event Center. The meeting begins at 9:00AM, and Rotarians can meet at Bob Evans at 7:30 for breakfast if they want to carpool to the meeting. Craig will be coordinating and letting everyone know the dates for us to distribute checks to all of the receiving charities from our work this past year. Key upcoming dates for the Club BOD meeting (July 20), Club Assembly (July 28th) and the monthly social at World of Beer (July 30th) located at 2878 Providence Lakes Blvd in Brandon were given to everyone. Don't miss the social as there might, quite possibly, perhaps, could be, maybe, if we're lucky a Tom Odiorne, Chris Papp or Mike Cessna sighting. We're not promising anything, and if they don't show, we know we'll still have a fun time. After all, when will you ever get the opportunity to spend time with John Dwyer, Wayne Strohaker AND Craig Oldham at the same time in the same place?! Wayne, don't answer that!
Vince Ferraro, who has dedicated several years of passion, focus and countless hours of hard work in helping to feed the homeless in our community through his work with the I Am Hope Cafe, announced that the Cafe was unfortunately closing. After several attempts at other options, it was decided by their board that this was the only option truly available. Vince thanked the entire club for their support and asked that the club reallocate the funds designated for the cafe back to the club so those resources may be used to assist the other selected charities this year.
As the club knows, the big things we do are most often done in small groups. Every Rotarian should get connected with a committee soon. Our committee chairs will be organizing and planning for a community-impacting year, and they need your help. To sign up, make sure to contact one of the following Rotarians:
Pat Skidmore - Community Service, Roger Rivard - Membership, B. Lee Elam - PR/Marketing, Larry Fassett - Club Admin/Guest Speakers, Scott Carter - Fundraising/Casino Night, John Dwyer - Events/Socials
Birthdays: Bill Handley (July 23), Debbie Meegan (July 27)
Anniversaries: Vince & Grace Ferraro - July 21 (48 years), Bland & Erika Eng - July 24 (16 years), Bill & Kathy Handley - July 24 (39 years)
Rotary Anniversaries: Chris Papp - July 23 (2 years), Bill Handley - July 25 (12 years)
After our Tuesday, July 21st meeting where we will induct new members, the Rotary Club of Brandon will conduct its first Club Assembly meeting of the 2015-16 Rotary year with many topics including our proposed Rotary Event Center, budget approval, committee updates and several items that will be discussed needing club approval. Don't miss it!
The Rotary Club of Brandon's weekly meeting at the Loft was held Tuesday, July 7th. The changing of the guard was official as Chuck Burgess presided over his first official meeting as the club's new president. Craig Oldham was said to officially be the happiest Rotarian in the room in his new role as Immediate Past President! The club welcomed guests and fellow visiting Rotarians, wished a Happy Birthday to George Simmons (July 1), George Anello (July 5), Rudy Liddell (July 8), Loren Potts (July 8) , wished a Happy Anniversary to Justin and Kendall Northcutt (July 3 - 6 years), Bill and Betty Harper (July 10 - 58 years), and recognized the following Rotarians for their years of service on their Rotary anniversary this week: Ron Croone - 21 years, Scott Carter - 11 years, Bland Eng - 3 years and Felix Velazquez - 3 years. Congrats to you all!
Secretary Debbie Meegan announced that 7-Day letters for club membership were going out for both Cade Rivard and David Sigler. Derrell Curry shared that the Zoning Hearing Master has recommended approval from the Board of County Commissioners which is scheduled on Tuesday, August 11th at 9:00am for our Rotary Event Center facility. Due to overwhelming support to have our Rotarians attend this meeting, it was announced that there will NOT be a regular lunch meeting held that day. Roger invited anyone who had not visited the facility to join him after the meeting for a preview. Chuck announced that he would be representing the Club at the District's Membership Seminar and Workshop in Bartow from 8:00am - 12:00pm on Saturday, July 11th. He invited anyone in the Club that had a desire to help grow the membership to attend as well. Chuck then went on to discuss the Club's vision and goals for the 2015-16 Rotary year. Chuck gave a presentation outlining all of the roles of the current officers and directors as well as the committees available to all members. The annual calendar with all key dates and meetings was distributed with special attention given to the designated fundraiser and community service dates. The Club's overall goals aligning with Rotary International were also presented along with the qualifications of our club being eligible for the Presidential Citation at the end of the Rotary Year.
There will be a regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday, July 14th with guest speaker Christine Michaels who is the new Executive Director for the Greater Brandon Chamber of Commerce.
It was an historic day for the Rotary Club of Brandon this past Tuesday as Cade Rivard and David Sigler began their journey into Rotary by officially joining the Rotary Club of Brandon. Cade, sponsored by John Sellers, was joined by his longtime Rotarian father Roger Rivard and the matriach of the Rivard family, Kimberly Rivard. David was joined by neighbor, friend and even longer time Rotarian, Pat Skidmore, for the ceremony. Both newly pinned Rotarians spoke about their excitement of joining Rotary, and President Chuck Burgess spoke to them both of the honor, prestige and responsibility that comes with being a member of the Rotary Club of Brandon. Cade and David were then handed off to Club Administrator Larry Fassett for their introduction into the Baby Rote program where they will get to learn more about Rotary, the Rotary Club of Brandon and how it operates, and how to get rid of that doggone red badge in order to wear the official blue badge. Cade and David, welcome to THE Rotary Club of Brandon!
In addition to adding two awesome new members at the Club's weekly lunch meeting on Tuesday, July 21st, the Club also welcomed guests Chris Hoffman and Kimberly Rivard (Guests of Roger Rivard) and Donald Morris (Guest of Clyde Eisenberg). It was another packed house with very few empty seats as Rotarians shared the great things going on in their lives. Secretary Debbie Meegan announced the birth of a new 8 lb. 15 ounce grandson and some good news on husband Mike's health, world Rotarian trekker Alan Feldman returned from a great trip with his wife and former Club Rotarian Joan Rhyne and her husband Richard, Felix Velasquez announced the birth of a brand new car which was delivered by Roger Rivard, and Pat Skidmore was the happiest person in the room now that David Sigler will have to pay for his own lunches! The Club also celebrated Debbie Meegan's birthday with one of its best ever Happy Birthday renditions, mainly due to Fred Schwabe starting everyone off in the right key.
Announcements were made regarding the upcoming Board of County Commissioners meeting on Tuesday, August 11th at 9:00AM in the county building. Club members will meet at the Bob Evans for breakfast at 7:30AM and carpool to the meeting afterwards. The Club's monthly board meeting was a huge success with lots of great conversation and planning, all of which will be discussed in front of the entire Club on Tuesday, July 28th. All Brandon Rotarians are encouraged to attend as several topics on the agenda will come forth for discussion and approval. Committees are forming for community service, PR, membership, club administration and fundraising. President Chuck announced that EVERYONE needs to be tied to both fundraising and at least one other committee in order to make this year as successful as it can be. Past President Craig Oldham relayed that he is putting together dates to visit charities receiving funds this year so we may do a big check presentation and bring awareness to both their causes and to our Club's as well. He invited everyone to try and make the check presentations as these were all funds raised by the entire Club.
The Club's first Club Assembly for the 2015-16 Rotary year is scheduled for Tuesday, July 28th. The following Tuesday, August 4th, we get a glimpse into the future of Rotary as we hear from Brandon Rotary's S4TL student, Joe Zukmick. He will join the club for lunch to discuss his experience, what he learned and the impact that this Rotary Leadership youth conference has had on him.
A big reminder went out to the Club inviting everyone to attend our very important social at World of Beer on Thursday, July 30th beginning at 6:00PM! Rotary socials are scheduled in order for our members to enjoy fellowship, invite others to join to learn more about Rotary and our Club, connect with each other, network with other professionals and to have lots of FUN! Our socials are the best place to find out exactly where Mike Cessna gets his hair done, if Chris Papp did more deals in one day than Rotary meetings he made last year (either he is awesome at his job or his GPS doesn't recognize THE LOFT as a destination), what Wayne Strohaker actually does for a living, who is helping Troy Dimsdale with the golf tournament (wait, he's running the golf tournament?!), how many pounds of meat Mike Edenfield HAS actually cooked for our Wild Game dinners and if he's a better attorney, butcher or storyteller, how many countries Alan Feldman has actually visited and how many he is allowed to return to, if Chris Larson actually repairs plumbing at 2:00 in the morning and if so, why are people calling him at 2:00 in the morning, what college Jeff Reynolds' son has chosen and what fraternity Jeff is pledging during his son's first semester, is John Dwyer Brandon's most eligible bachelor, and if so, what does that say for Brandon, who is John Gardner's first mate at his next sailing competition and can they keep up with him, who gets to ride in Joe Campoamor's new boat that goes on water AND on land, or who gets to ride shotgun in Felix Velasquez's new car and learn another language, if Dave Brown realizes he only has 49 more weeks until he is president, who will miss a meeting or make up first, Derrell Curry or Bob Solano (Cal Ripken has nothing on these guys!), if Paul Garner just sells the sound equipment or does he moonlight as DJ PG 13, if Rudy and Craig are each other's dentist, and if so, is that
expected or just weird, if Justin Northcutt will be in a delivery room or will his wife let him be at the social for the birth of his second daughter, how DOES Debbie Meegan deal with being married to the second funniest man in Brandon, will anyone be able to beat Scott Carter in the poker tournament at our Casino Night, will Fred Schwabe be wearing his infamous red tennis shoes and do they actually make him funnier, who will be the next Rotarian to be on Lee Elam's sign and if anyone has seen Bland Eng. Bland? Bland? You never know what stories will be told, what you will learn or what tremendous relationships you will build, so don't miss it!
Thursday, June 5th at the Tampa Club, the Rotary Club of Brandon had a passing of the torch as President Craig Oldham pinned President Elect Chuck Burgess as the 2015-16 President of the Club. Over 60 plus Rotarians, past Rotarians and families attended the annual event. Past President Fred Schwabe served as Master of Ceremonies. Jeff Reynolds and Roger Rivard recognized our Past Presidents' service and then presented our club's plans for the Rotary Event Center off of Ronele and Kings in front of the crowd and past iconic Rotarians George Simmons, Charlie Thurman and Don Pate. President Craig recognized both Derrell Curry and Bob Solano for another year of perfect attendance. Craig also tapped Roger Rivard and Joe Campoamor for their leadership and service in the Rotary Event Center and our 39th Wild Game Night Dinner, respectively. Craig then recapped a very successful year of fundraising, fellowship and our club's win in the Inaugural Paddle for the Camp. President Elect Chuck then recognized President Craig for his year of service with a golden gavel plaque and wine case.
Assistant District Governor Mary Boor then officially installed President Elect Chuck Burgess. Chuck then presented a look at the past, the present and goals for the future for the club. He then thanked all of the 2015-16 officers and directors for their commitment to serving and impacting: Dave Brown (President Elect), Debbie Meegan (Secretary), Justin Northcutt (Treasurer), Fred Schwabe (Sergeant at Arms), Craig Oldham (Past President), Larry Fassett (Club Administration), Pat Skidmore (Service Projects), B. Lee Elam (Public Relations), Roger Rivard (Membership), Scott Carter (Fundraising) and John Dwyer (Events). Chuck concluded the evening with a toast for future success. During the evening's ceremonies,
Congratulations to Joe Campoamor, the Wild Game Dinner Honcho, and all the Brandon Rotarians! Joe, you DID IT! I did see your predecessor, Dave West, following you around! LOL What a wonderful event and the attendees certainly enjoyed the evening. I saw bartenders galore, tending to the libations! Meat choppers and slicers and salad makers worked Thursday and Friday! Ticket sellers were hustling for buyers while raffle prizes were being dolled out to the crowd. Many members were seen working diligently to make this the best Wild Game Dinner, EVER. There were Volunteers who were there to assist in any way and many took on multiple tasks to share in the successful evening!! Thanks to all who made this a truly successful evening. Bet you can't wait until next year's event!!
Last week's meeting was mainly discussion about the WGD, however, our members did take a vote to amend the charity organization list. After discussion, a foundation, which was on the list, was eliminated. All charities on the remaining list are actual organizations who filed a form with our club. Voting will take place later.
Derrell Curry announced that our club is the proud owner of a new building that will eventually become a Rotary Club of Brandon meeting space with other clubs and organizations utilizing the building on Kings, as well!!
Once again, S4TL is coming up in June and our club annually sponsors a rising High School Senior to attend the outstanding weeklong camp. It can make such a positive impact on a teen's life. If you have an interested child or grandchild or if you know someone who would make a great representative for our club, please let our President know.
Member Birthdays:
March 19 John Massolio
March 21 Tom Odiorne
March 26 William Harper
Anniversaries:
David and Susan West --1981
Craig Oldham and Peggy Colleran-- 1994
See you at THE LOFT!
It was a busy weekly meeting for our Rotarians on Tuesday, May 12th at the Loft. The meeting opened with a visit from Assistant District Governor Elect Mary
Boor stopping by to present President Craig and our Club the 1st Place Championship Oar for winning the Inaugural Paddle for the Camp Canoe Challenge. President Craig, still in his championship sling and showing his sacrifice and commitment, accepted the coveted hardware and acknowledged Tim Norstrem, John Dwyer and Chuck Burgess for their efforts in bringing home the championship!
The meeting was handed over to Past Presidents Roger Rivard and Jeff Reynolds as they went through their plan for the Greater Brandon Rotary Event Center (aka - our future home base). The current rezoning status, structural plans, financing, outreach to other clubs and naming rights opportunities were all discussed as the vision for the project was clearly put before the members. Roger, Jeff and Past District Governor Alan Feldman all
showed their commitment to the project with securing naming rights to main areas of the event center. Thank you all for taking the lead! Pledge/donation forms were handed out to each member and an ask for support of OUR community transcending initiative was put forth to the club. Roger, Jeff and Derrell Curry have all done an outstanding job and have put in countless hours of time, effort and energy into making this a realtiy for our community. Thank you all!
President Craig reminded everyone to sign up for our Annual Installation Banquet on Thursday, June 4th at the Tampa Club starting at 6:00PM so Clyde Eisenberg could get a count. He also gave another reminder for all those who had not handed in Wild Game Dinner money to do so quickly so the event could be re
conciled. The 50-50 had no winner so the prize continued to increase in value. The meeting was adjourned until next Tuesday's meeting. Patrick Shea is securing a guest speaker, so you don't want to miss it!
This past week the Future Farmers of America Agricultural Issues Team from Strawberry Crest High School presented a skit about the Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act. Students played the roles of a school principal, concerned parent, busy student-athlete, a local politician, a cafeteria staff member and a moderator to each show the many opinions and effects of this legislative decision.
This very well prepared group of students did an outstanding job of showing both their writing and presentation skills. This group continues practicing for their big upcoming state competition, and the Rotary Club of Brandon wants to wish them all the best of success as they hone their skills for the big day! Thanks to Strawberry Crest educator Susan Mayo for having her students visit and to Rotarian Sheila Donalson for organizing. President Craig Oldham and Past President Fred Schwabe were on hand to thank the group for joining us for lunch and to get a few pics with the group as well.
Our weekly meeting started with welcoming several guests to lunch with the hopes that they will continue to visit us and join our Club as active, impact-making members in the future. Roger Rivard discussed the Zoning Hearing that took place Monday, June 15th at the Board of County Commissioners meeting room. Several Rotarians from the Rotary Club of Brandon, Brandon 86, Brandon South and the Rotary Club of Valrico all attended to support the Rotary Event Center initiative. We will now wait for the Zoning Hearing Master's recommendation prior to going before the BOCC in August for more discussion and their vote.
President Craig also encouraged Rotarians to join the S4TL Rap Session this week and the July 11th District-wide membership seminar in Bartow. He reminded the incoming board of directors and officers that they would be meeting afterwards with newly installed President Chuck Burgess for their first meeting to discuss the overall plans for the 2015-16 Rotary year.
This past week's meeting also had fellow Rotarian Shelia Donalson bring in Brandon's very own Honorary Mayor, Liz Brewer, to talk about her time as Honorary Mayor and to tell the club about The Brandon Foundation. The Club was informed of all of the great things that the Brandon Foundation has done over the past several years and its current mission, vision and impact in the Greater Brandon community. Liz discussed their annual Pro/Am golf tournament, their Annual Coffee Breakfast, Evening of Hope and this year's big Masquerade Ball. All of these events are geared toward supporting the over 100 charities which apply annually for a support grant as well as families that have experienced a catastrophic event or a terminal illness in their life which is supported by their Angel Program. Liz discussed the many ways that Rotarians, business leaders and the general public can get involved by volunteering, donating, forming an Angel Team or participating in their Annual Giving Difference Maker program.
Liz also talked about the great time she has had being this year's Honorary Mayor of Brandon, her husband Jeff who owns Patriot Arms and her role as a business leader and mother in our community.
President Craig reminded the Club that there was a meeting next week, Tuesday, June 23rd and NO MEETING on Tuesday, June 30th. The Club would meet again on Tuesday, July 7th for President Chuck Burgess's first meeting. Chuck will be the speaker for the day to discuss the overall plans and goals for the 2015-16 Rotary Year. This would be a great meeting to bring potential members to get them excited about the awesome things that we have planned for the year. You don't want to miss it!
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