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. On July 10th the new Rotary Year Started 2018-2019 started off like a firecracker on the 4th of July…full of excitement and energy. This year the Rotary Motto is BE THE INSPIRATION and our club is full of Rotarians who inspire others in our community every day. Last year we raised over $92,000 that we gave out to deserving local charities and students.
Rudy Liddell and Loren Potts celebrated birthdays this week. Larry Cox and his wife Penny celebrated 40 years of wedded bliss and Justin Northcutt and his lovely wife Kendell celebrate 9 years of matrimony.
The Club celebrated with Scott Carter for his 14 years as a Rotarian.
On behalf of the Club, Jeff Reynolds presented 6 deserving college bound students with scholarships . Maddie Abdoney, Dominick Anderson, Jessica Den Haese, Danielle Dwyer, Sarah Grabau and Katherine Newcomb each received $1000.00. What a great day for our club as we watched the efforts of our fundraising being invested in the next generation. We wish them much success for a bright and exciting future. 
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The Rotary Club of Brandon kicks off its fundraising season this Friday as it hosts its annual Bustin' Clays Clay Shoot at Fish Hawk Sporting Clays. Led by Ryan Burley and Chris McGuire, this major event consists of teams vying for the prestigious title of Best Overall Team and Top Shot bragging rights for the year. There will be lots of raffle prizes, and this year Ryan Burley will be behind the grill for one of the best barbecue's this side of Hillsborough County!
The Rotary Club of Brandon had a special guest speaker this past week as Mary Berg from A Kid's Place visited to educate our club on the thriving 501c3 non-profit and its good work. Mary talked about the challenges of operating the facility's frequently filled to capacity houses and the 60 children they are currently serving. A Kid's Place, which provides a loving home for abused, neglected or abandoned children was founded by Dottie Berger McKinnon as a place where children can be fostered without being separated from their siblings. Some of the ways that organizations like Rotary can help are to do things with the children, organize a field trip like bowling, or even do a facility project together with them.
The Rotary Club of Brandon got a little bigger and better this past week as the club celebrated the induction of new Rotarians Adam Bantner and Taylor Bell. Adam Bantner of the Bantner Law Firm and Taylor Bell an AAG loan officer add a ton of energy, experience and community passion to the ever-growing club.
The Rotary Club of Brandon kicked off National Beer Month in prime fashion with guest speaker, John Corsemyer, the amazing VP of Sales for Three Daughters Brewery in St. Pete. John did a fantastic job of showing the club the evolution of the Three Daughters brand and some of the big goals that they have moving forward. It was entertaining, enlightening and refreshing as each Rotarian and guest got a two-pack sample of their Three Daughters Beach Blonde and new Coffee Blonde Ale craft beers. We learned about crowlers, growlers and howlers (wait, that was just Wayne in the back wanting a case of Busch Light)!
President Dave Brown made sure to remind everyone about our current sponsorship opportunities for the Rotary year along with our upcoming major fundraiser - the Bustin' Clays Clay Shoot at Fish Hawk Sporting Clays on Friday, September 29th. Our goal is to have 100 shooters so we can rock out the donations this year for our charities.
The Rotary Club of Brandon kicked off National Ice Cream Month with a great treat - an awesome guest speaker in Brian West, and a chance to sample a flavor not yet released to the public. Now that's how you do it!
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Because July is national Ice Cream month, Brian’s talk focused on Publix Stores and their dairy department which includes their Publix brand ice creams. Publix owns three dairy plants are which are located in Lakeland, Deerfield Beach, and Dacula, Georgia. The Lakeland plant is the oldest of the dairy plants and offers tours to the public. Publix buys milk from local dairy farmers and holds the quality to the highest standards possible which allows Publix milk to remain on the shelf for four days longer than another milk brand. They have more than 500 dairy plant associates who process 100 million gallons of fresh milk a year. They also produce Publix brand ice cream, and Publix brand cultured products like yogurt and cottage cheese. Brian treated the club to Publix Brand Ice Cream. His selection even included one which is still in the creative process and has not been released to the public yet. He assured the club that sampling the new ice cream which was a peanut butter heavenly creation was so good it was a life changing experience. After the taste test, the entire club agreed!.jpg)
The Rotary Club of Brandon kicked off its 2017-2018 Rotary Year with an awesome presentation by motivational speaker and author, Eric Papp, brother of Rotarian Chris Papp. Eric's call to action was to focus on grabbing on, letting go and moving forward, and it was full of energy and a positive message for us all. Author of several leadership books, Eric's clients include Million Dollar Round Table, American Dental Association, Nationwide, Homeland Security, and LifeLock. Eric serves as a weekly leadership expert on News Talk 1530 and publishes original content twice a week on his podcast and blog. Traveling around the globe with a message to increase effectiveness and productivity, Eric focuses on OWNERSHIP AT WORK: CREATING AN “I MAKE IT HAPPEN.” CULTURE..jpg)
It was an amazing night of fun, recognition and excitement as the Rotary Club of Brandon's President's gavel got passed to newly inducted President Dave Brown. Almost 100 Rotarians, family and friends gathered for the 2017-18 Annual Installation Banquet at the Rivard-Simmons Rotary Event Center on Tuesday, June 27th. You could feel the energy in the room as soon as you walked in with the anticipation of new leadership, club goals and impending community impact. 
The awards started with DG Gunter presenting incoming President Elect Debbie Meegan with a four time Paul Harris Fellow pin. This award is very prestigious from the Rotary International perspective, and Debbie also became a Paul Harris Sustaining Member which gives RI $1,000 annually. Congrats, Debbie!
After the annual awards were completed, our Perfect Attendees all received their pins and certificates. Next up, President Chuck said a few words about the year and then made sure to give Dave the "Rules to Being President of Our Club". Every Rotarian was mentioned, and the rules were very explicit. We'll see if Dave can follow them!!
The evening ended with a toast to success for this year by President Dave. It was an energizing evening and a fun one as well. Congrats to everyone for an unbelievable year. Now let's make this year an even better one! 
What a night! With almost 100 Rotarians, past Rotarians and spouses in attendance, the Rotary Club of Brandon officially kicked off its Rivard-Simmons Rotary Event Center this past Tuesday, May 23rd. To say the evening was a huge success would be an understatement with great food, Rotary fellowship and lots of fun. Roger Rivard acted as emcee for the evening holding court talking about the journey that began as a vision out of necessity, all of the people that stepped up to donate money, time, services, materials, expertise and labor, and the joy we all feel that it has turned out to be an amazing new home for us all. 
The Rotary Club of Brandon gathered to check out the progress of its two year project - The Rivard-Simmons Rotary Event Center. With renovations continuing, lots of little projects getting finishing touches and a ton of excitement building, the club met to do a walk through and get introduced to the many amenities that the center will offer. The board room, large meeting space and member area were all highlights along with the open kitchen and prep area for caterers to set up the weekly meetings. After raising lots of money, putting in some major sweat equity, having several organizations and individuals donate materials, services and time, the center is running to the finish line.
After months of preparation, planning and hard work, the Rotary Club of Brandon held its Annual Wild Game Dinner to the tune of raising over $50,000 plus for its local, chosen charities. It was another amazing turnout with almost 600 in attendance from all over the state, and even some coming in from outside the state to partake in what has long been the club's signature event. Event Chairman, Joe Campoamor, put his team in action, and they did not disappoint!
Also, a big thanks to John Sellers and his team of Bland Eng (and son Brandon), Chris Myers and Bob Ura for taking care of all of our guns for the raffle, Paul Garner for doing another great job on the mic, Wayne Strohaker for taking care of the hogs in the box, our illustrious check in group of Maria Lewis, Fred Schwabe, Kathy Curry and Debbie Meegan, our bar crew and beer truck attendees Jeff Campbell (chair), Alan Feldman, Clyde Eisenberg, Chris Papp (and his dad!), Mike Meegan (I think he works more in our club than his own!), Ron Croone, who worked ALL night long, Scott Carter and Chris Larson for taking care of the silent auction and raffle items, the money guys - Justin Northcutt, Vince Ferraro and Michael Hayes, our king ticket seller Larry Fassett and his team of Ron Marshall (loved the hat, Ron!), Pat Skidmore and JJ Massaro, our cigar master Craig Oldham, our sponsor signage guy Tom Odiorne, our VIP organizer Cade Rivard, the best dang clam steamers in town - Bob Solano and family. THANK YOU ALL!!
It was the Valentine's Day edition of the Rotary Club of Brandon's weekly meeting, and it was another packed house as the club got to hear a great talk about the importance of superb public relations, getting ahead of situations by being transparent and ways in which to position your message in order to capitalize on situations both in business and in your personal brand. James Judge served in Afghanistan and then had a lengthy career with Blue Pearl. He is the president of Judge Public Relations whose firm specializes in creating customized creative communication solutions for his clients. He gave first hand accounts of why businesses should be proactive rather than reactive to any situations that arises. He also gave examples of how you can use current news to insert yourself or your business as part of a major story by lending advice or commenting on the current event. He encouraged businesses to do good, and then tell people about the good they do using all the media formats available: press releases to the various media outlets as well as all the social media available.
Big news was the order of business at this week's Rotary Club of Brandon's luncheon. Through a combined donation of $100,000 from the Simmons Foundation and the Rivard Family, the club approved naming rights for the club's big project as the Rivard-Simmons Rotary Event Center. Through the hard work and focus of Roger Rivard and his family and the major contribution from George Simmons' Family Foundation, this project will now be a legacy for our club for many years to come.
We had some big updates: Roger Rivard gave us an update on the and let us know that things are right on schedule. We are getting ready to purchase furniture, and Roger presented to the club a reproduction of a Thomas Kincade painting of Rotarians at a Rotary Club Meeting. With Club approval he hopes to hang it in the President’s Room. Joe Campoamor let us all know how the Wild Game Dinner was coming along. Only 28 VIP tickets remain, and we need to sell, sell, sell tickets in order to make this year’s event a success. Ryan Burley let everyone know that our quarterly club service Project will be February 18th at the Rivard-Simmons Rotary Event Center.
The best Wild Game this side of the Mississippi (hence the name of the event), tons of raffle prizes and silent auctions, an exclusive VIP area, and endless bar with the most hospitable servers in town, tasty food beyond your wildest dreams, some of the top business leaders in the Tampa Bay area, and much more await over 800 men in the Rotary Club of Brandon's annual Wild Game Dinner at Lupton's Boggy Bottom Ranch on Friday, March 3rd beginning at 6:00PM. This signature and historic event, in its 41st year, will also feature John and Gina Brunson from their hit show, Addicted to the Outdoors.
It was another banner weekly lunch meeting for the Rotarians of the Rotary Club of Brandon this past week with several key updates to a ton of success the club is experiencing to date. For starters, Troy Dimsdale reported that the golf tournament will bring in close to $16,000 in net profits supporting our local charities selected this year. The club heartily thanked Troy and Steve Moran and their team for all of their hard work and persistence in making the event a huge success. Joe Campoamor chimed in shortly thereafter to give a thorough update on where the club is with its Wild Game Dinner preparations. While the club is far ahead of last year's pre-slaes for the event, there are still a ton of tickets ready to be sold. There should be a mad rush to get the final few dozen VIP tickets in the next week or so!
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The Rotary Club of Brandon's annual golf tournament fundraiser was one for the ages this past week. Celebrating its 25th year through 450 holes of fundraising, the club boasted 28 teams, tons of local corporate and hole sponsors, great food and drinks, a very competitive putting contest and a beautiful day to play golf. Event Chairman, Troy Dimsdale, and his wingman, Steve Moran, did an outstanding job of planning, organizing and rallying the club and community to support this event that will make a huge difference in the lives of so many..jpeg)
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Take care of your employees, and they will take care of you. That was the overriding message from the Rotary Club of Brandon's weekly guest speaker, Robin Orosz this past week. It was a great message from the employment attorney with the law firm of Florin Roebig P.A. She explained that Employment Law is complicated because it is a combination of both Federal and State law. It can be very expensive because all states have a fee provision meaning an individual can have a small monetary settlement, but potentially pay out huge attorney fees to the prevailing party. She advised to always be aware of any issues that arise and get the advice of an attorney because knowledge is power. Robin also advised to take prompt and remedial action in any discrimination situation and advised against trying to solve FLMA or Discrimination complaints on your own.
President Chuck announced that the District is accepting applications for S4TL . Applicants need to be a high school junior going into their senior year next year. Golf Tournament Chairman Troy Dimsdale gave an update on the upcoming Thursday, January 19th Golf Tourney at Buckhorn saying that we have 14 plus teams confirmed. Need more players and need hole sponsors.
The Rotary Club of Brandon kicked off the 2017 calendar year with a very prestigious guest speaker that has had a tremendous impact in our community for decades. Dr. Earl Lennard, former superintendent of Hillsborough County Public Schools from 1988 - 2005 among other community leadership roles, visited to speak with Rotarians about the current climate in both the United States and Florida with regards to the education system.
The Rotary Club of Brandon Rotarians gathered this past weekend to celebrate the upcoming holidays at Dr. Craig Oldham's house. There was lots of holiday cheer, plenty of food and drinks and stories galore as over 50 plus showed up to enjoy the evening. For the club, it was a great opportunity to gather and share another holiday season to remember after an extremely successful 2016. It was fantastic to see so many spouses attend the event showing once again why the Rotary Club of Brandon is more than just a club, it's family!
Rotarians from the Rotary Club of Brandon came together to celebrate Thanksgiving at The Loft Event Center this week in true Rotary spirit. Over 50 Rotarians, friends and family members gathered to give thanks for all of their blessings, shared some great fellowship and feasted on an awesome Thanksgiving meal. The Rotary Club of Brandon wishes everyone a safe and Happy Thanksgiving, especially those serving and protecting all of us! This time of year the Rotary's Four-Way Test and motto of Service above Self is never more evident. The phenomenal leaders of this club continue to make a difference and impact so many families and children that rely so heavily on organizations like Rotary to be there for them in times of need. It is amazing to be a part of not just an organization, but a worldwide movement that starts at home in our own community.
The Rotary Club was represented this past Monday evening at the District 6890 Annual Rotary Foundation Gala. This year the Foundation's 100 year anniversary was the hot topic of the evening with Rotarians from all over the state attending to celebrate the great work that the Foundation has done over the years throughout the world. Debbie and Mike Meegan, Melanie and Alan Feldman, Barbara and Fred Schwabe and Chequita and Chuck Burgess all attended the event to represent the club..jpg)
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". .jpg)
Lobster for days, more crab legs than a Boston marathon, a trough-full of shrimp and just for some fun, a few steak filets were all on tap at this year's Rotary Club of Brandon Seafood Fest. This year's event was again held at Rotary's Camp Florida, and over 90 plus Rotarians, spouses and friends joined in the fun. Thanks to the hard work and all day cooking of Mike Edenfield on the seaside of things and John Dwyer for the land lovers, the event AND food were simply outstanding!
A huge thank you to all those that showed up early to help set up, cook, serve and clean up! 
For the over 50 plus Rotarians and their families that attended last week's Fall Fireside Chat for the Rotary Club of Brandon, it was more than just getting together because the event was on the schedule. The evening, hosted at Rotary's Camp Florida, was an opportunity to celebrate family, friends and the community by coming together for an evening of fellowship, fun and philanthropy. Rotarians attended with their spouses and families, enjoyed some amazing steaks prepared by Event Chair, John Dwyer, got to spend time with Rotarians and listen to stories about good times of old.
The Club had several members that made the evening possible from Derrell Curry's infamous salad prep team to John Dwyer's amazing set up and cooking team to our volunteer-led clean up team. Awesome event!!
What do you get when you get a bunch of Rotarians with shotguns and clay pigeons flying all over the place together? A lot of money raised for local charities and a whole bunch of fun! The 2016 Rotary Club of Brandon's Bustin' Clays Sporting Clay Shoot at Fish Hawk Sporting Clays on Saturday, September 24th was a tremendous success as the club raised over $8,000 for causes throughout the Greater Brandon area.
The Rotary Club of Brandon's Bustin' Clays Fundraiser is fast approaching, and the entire club is geared up to raise funds to support several local charities. The fun-filled clay shoot is scheduled for Saturday, September 24th at the Fish Hawk Sporting Clays. Sponsorships individual and team shooting slots are still available, but it is filling up fast! The fundraiser promises a day of light-hearted competition, lunch, raffle prizes and lots of opportunities to make a difference for all of the club's designated local charities.
Mediator Dawn Hayes took center stage at this week's Rotary luncheon and worked overtime (no worries, we paid her time and a half in pizza!) to educate the club on Worker's Comp in the workplace. It was another packed house as Dawn enlightened the members on ways to have a plan in place and take care of employees that may have had an injury on the job.
It was a packed house this past week as the Rotary Club of Brandon had its monthly Club Assembly where the 2016-17 charities the club is supporting were announced. The Brandon Rotary Club Charity Fund board met and recommended to the club a slate of charities to support, and the club unanimously approved their recommendation. The charities receiving support from the club this year are the BRCCF Scholarship Fund, Rotary's Camp Florida, ECHO, the Outreach Clinic, the Boy Scouts Alafia River Kayak & Canoe project, the Brandon Sports and Aquatic Center and a special allocation to the Family Promise of Greater Brandon and the Women's Resource Center of Tampa Bay. 
It was a Bull Court Press this past Tuesday for Rotarians in Brandon as the University of South Florida's Head Women's Basketball Coach, Jose Fernandez visited to share about the current and future success of his phenomenal program. The club was treated to an extremely dynamic and passionate educator and coach that our community can truly be proud of!
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The Rotary Club of Brandon lost a true friend and community leader this past week with the passing of longtime Rotarian George Anello. George's short battle with pancreatic cancer came to an end on Tuesday, August 16th. For years George lifted up our club and community through his leadership roles, hands on involvement and financial support which extended to the many and diverse organizations in which he was involved.
Another great week at the Rotary Club of Brandon, and lots to celebrate and be thankful for! Fred Schwabe kicked things off with some Happy Dollars, and the club responded in style. Shelia Donaldson had a happy dollar for her grandson who was awarded his first Bible at Bell Shoals Baptist Church. Chris Myers was just happy that school is back in session, and he can get back to more of a "normal" life. John Gardner was happy because his trial that was set in Inverness was rescheduled which allowed him to attend today's Rotary meeting!
Major life accomplishments, a passionate guest speaker and an engagement all came together at this week's Rotary club meeting to make it one of the best attended and fun meetings of the year. Sergeant At Arms Fred Schwabe kicked things off with Happy Dollars, and boy were they happy!! John Gardner tossed in a buck to celebrate his son Scott's passing the fourth and final CPA test thus making him an official CPA! Congrats, Scott on behalf of the entire club! JJ Massaro announced that his middle son just graduated from the University of North Florida with a degree in Advertising. Way to go! Maria Lewis was not to be outdone and announced that she passed her CFRE exam and is now a Certified Fundraiser. We are so proud of you, Maria, and all of that hard work finally paid off! And speaking of hard work, Chris Myers announced his engagement to Melissa Salvo, and we know how hard he had to work for that! Congrats Chris and Melissa!!
Flyers for the 2016-2017 Rotary Club Fundraisers and Sponsorships were passed out. They included two new sponsorships: Community Legacy Sponsorship and Rotary Impact Sponsorship which will allow sponsors to bundle sponsorships for all four events. Our first event will be the Clay Shoot which will be held on September 24th at the Fish Hawk Sporting Clays. The club is looking for goodie bag items and help selling raffle tickets. Tickets for the event were passed out to all Rotarians in attendance.
Newly elected District Governor Joyce Gunter paid a visit to the Rotary Club of Brandon this past week to share her vision for the Rotary year and get the club up to speed on the latest and greatest from Rotary International and District 6890. It was a jam-packed agenda as three of our nominated charities presented along with DG Gunter's presentation.
With the charity presentations completed and handed over to the Charity Fund Board, it was time for District Governor Joyce Gunter to present.Special Guest District Gov. Joyce Gunter :
After a long month of fundraising, eight community events and lots and lots of phone calls and personal asks for support, Rotary President Chuck Burgess became the newest Honorary Mayor of Brandon at 8:00AM on July 4th. President of the Community Roundtable, Janine Nickerson, and longtime board member B. Lee Elam presided over the traditional "handing in of the checks" at Lee's office. Three candidates battled the entire month putting on more than 30 fundraising events in 33 days. In the end the results were record-breaking on all fronts..PNG)
After getting his name on the infamous Lee Elam sign and riding in the annual 4th of July parade, President Chuck is now geared up and ready for the year ahead to work with the Community Roundtable and use the Honorary Mayor platform to do more good in the community. "Being a Rotarian and living the mantra of service above self, this opportunity will allow me to impact even more of the non profit sector. I can't wait!"
The Rotary Club of Brandon kicked off its 2016-17 Rotary year with some special guests, a charity presentation from the Family Promise of Brandon and the new Honorary Mayor of Brandon. With 30 plus Rotarians attending including some very special visitors in Brandi McMullen who has relocated from Delaware and is looking to join the club, Edwina Reddick, the Executive Director of Family Promise of Brandon and the infamous Linda Chion Kenney who presented Lee Elam and President Chuck with some framed photos of the 4th of July Parade and Mayor's Race, the meeting was a huge success.
You know your Rotary Club is tops when the Supervisor of Elections comes to visit because he's heard all of the great things you're doing. Well, that and he wants to make sure you vote! It was an awesome weekly meeting this week as we inducted Hillsborough County Sheriff's Major Bob Ura into our club, welcomed our own bionic man, Fred Schwabe, back from his short surgery and rehab break and had our newly appointed AG, Clayton Jenkins, visit us. Maria Lewis even shared that she completed the CFRE Exam and is embarking on a new career all while celebrating the birth of her new grandson, Luke!
What a year! The Rotary Club of Brandon celebrated a ton of success on all fronts with raising over $70,000 for local charities, getting the Rotary Event Center started, adding 14 new members to the club, having four great community service projects and making a huge impact on the community throughout the year.
The festivities got kicked over to President Chuck to recognize all of the officers and directors of the board. He and Past President Craig handed out thank you gifts to each and thanked them for their hard work and service over the past year. Chuck then introduced a new award to be handed out each year as he recognized this year's Rotary Rookie of the Year for his outstanding work throughout the year with our fundraisers, service projects and events. This year's Rotary Rookie of the Year was none other than Cade Rivard. Congrats, Cade!
Past President Craig then swore in (or at, we weren't sure) Chuck as this year's president, and Chuck then inducted the new officers and directors for 2016-17 - Dave Brown (President Elect), Debbie Meegan (Secretary), Justin Northcutt (Treasurer), Fred Schwabe (Sergeant at Arms), Roger Rivard (Membership), Scott Carter (Fundraising), John Dwyer (Events), John Gardner (Club Admin), Chris McGuire (Public Relations), Ryan Burley (Service Projects) and Craig Oldham (Past President). 
The Rotary Club of Brandon recognized eight local charities this past week in a celebration of its fundraising efforts over the past Rotary year. Over $60,000 was distributed to some of the top grass roots non profits in our area as well as college scholarships to three outstanding, local high school seniors. "This is what we work for our entire Rotary year," said club President, Chuck Burgess. "The Rotary Club of Brandon is all about making a difference in our community, and today we REALLY made a difference!"
In addition to providing resources to local charities, the Rotary Club of Brandon also provided three major scholarships to some deserving seniors. Jason Reynolds of Jesuit received a $2,500 scholarship toward his education at the University of Virginia, Hannah Pridemore (Newsome High School) received a $1,500 scholarship to Duke University, and Grant Denham (Brandon High School) received a $1,500 scholarship to the University of South Florida. All three seniors are exceptional examples of achieving academic success, leadership in and out of their schools and community impact through volunteerism and service.
This week's meeting will consist of our monthly Club Assembly with next week's program being run by Immediate Past President Craig Oldham.
The Rotary Club of Brandon earned a couple of special honors at this year's Rotary District 6890 Conference held at the Orlando World Marriott May 20-21. With a huge delegation from clubs all over the state, District Governor Tom Wagner recognized the Rotary Club of Brandon with a Presidential Citation from 2015-16 Rotary International President K.R. "Ravi" Ravindran. Only a few clubs in the entire district were recognized at this level for their work in increasing membership, service, fundraising, Foundation giving, work with Rotary youth and spreading the Rotary mission.
The Rotary Club of Brandon got a big dose of John Maxwell this past week with John Maxwell Team Trainer, Kris Beaird, imparting some leadership wisdom at our weekly luncheon. Kris's exercise about leaders' capacities in roles was illustrated with a simple water bottle and lid. The purpose was to illustrate that the lid represents containment of capacity, and we all have to challenge where our lids are. Kris also spoke to self awareness and how other people may view us in our leadership roles.
The Rotary Club of Brandon is throwing its hat into this year's local political ring by sponsoring and supporting current Rotary President, Chuck Burgess, in his bid to become the next Honorary Mayor of Brandon. This annual, local event put on each year by the Community Roundtable has at the forefront a purpose to bring more resources and exposure to local charities through its primary fundraising component. The candidates begin raising funds through events and donations beginning June 1st and ending July 3rd. The candidate to hand in the most money raised becomes the next Honorary Mayor of Brandon for the next year beginning at the Fourth of July parade.
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The kick off event will be put on by Kimberly and Roger Rivard on Friday, June 3rd, and several other events will follow including a kickball tournament (June 4th), all day laser tag at CQ Tactical Laser Tag (June 5th), a movie night hosted by the Chicks for Charities group (June 8th), a clay shoot at Fish Hawk Sporting Clays (June 11th), an underground charity dance party (June 17th), a golf tournament at Cheval Golf & Country Club (June 18th) and a 5k/1-mile Fun Run with live concert and barbecue at BSAC (June 25th)..JPG)
Several members of the Rotary Club of Brandon gathered to assist the Emergency Care Help Organization (ECHO) this past Saturday at the Bill Carey Boys and Girls Club in Brandon and the ECHO center off of Parsons. The project entailed helping package over 50,000 pounds of inbound food products for local families in need as well as help to organize the ECHO center and process new donations for distribution. New Rotary member, Eleanor Saunders, organized hundreds of volunteers over the six plus hour service project, and the Rotary Club played a key role in the first part of the day..JPG)
The Community Foundation of Tampa Bay's Rich Strehl served as this past week's guest speaker and introduced the Rotary Club of Brandon to all of the opportunities that the Foundation offers donors wanting to connect with charities. Rich talked about legacy, planned giving and donor specific giving programs as well as innovative grant opportunities that exist for non profits doing something outside the box to impact the community..jpg)
The Rotary Club of Brandon had another banner day this past week as they inducted the Emergency Care Help Organization's Executive Director, Eleanor Saunders, as their newest Rotarian. Sponsored by recently inducted Dan Coyle, Eleanor took center stage and accepted the duties that go along with becoming a great community Rotarian. The club was excited to have her join the ranks and is expecting big things from her as she begins her Rotary career..jpg)
Brandon Rotarians had some new digs this past week as they welcomed the club at Romano's Macaroni Grill for the next several months until the Rotary Event Center is completed. It was a packed house and agenda as Rotarians got an opportunity to vote for the distribution of dollars to the selected charities for the 2015-16 Rotary year. The club also welcomed guest speaker, Steve McCleary from the Special Operations Warrior Foundation. Steve talked to the club about how the 501c3 non profit raises funds for college scholarships for the surviving children of fallen Special Operations Forces, family & educational counseling, including in-home tutoring, as well as advocacy support and immediate $3,000 financial grants to severely-wounded Special Operations Forces service members.
Brandon Rotarians took to the water, both inshore and offshore, to have fun, fish and enjoy Rotary fellowship at their Annual Fishing Trip to Steinhatchee. In all, over 30 plus Rotarians, friends and families gathered for the two-day event that included an evening steak dinner and a good old fashioned fish fry from the previous day's catch. Bob Solano, Pat Skidmore and Larry Fassett provided all of the set up, organization and fixins' which made for a great weekend.
It was all about family and friends this past week as the Rotary Club of Brandon gathered for its Spring Fireside Chat at Rotary's Camp Florida. The steaks were cooking, the stories were flying and the next generation of young Rotarians shared a night of fellowship with an awesome group of community leaders. John Dwyer did another great job of getting everything coordinated and set up while Mike Edenfield manned the grill to make the best steaks ever! Derrell Curry took care of his world famous salad with the much needed help of Pat Skidmore, Larry Fassett and Clyde Eisenberg. Over 50 Rotarians, spouses and children all attended the evening where
President Chuck and Roger Rivard gave the entire club an update on the progress of the Rotary Event Center. To date, the club has raised in both contributions and in-kind donations (service, labor, materials) approximately a quarter of a million dollars. We have a bit more to go, so getting more people involved, having other Rotarians step up and the charity vote distribution will all play a role in us accomplishing our goal.
Our sister club, the Fish Hawk/Riverview Rotary Club is putting on their Annual Crawfish Festival at Winthrop on Saturday, April 16th as well. Longtime Rotarian Mike Meegan has asked our club to have a few people come out and assist with the beer tent. Anyone coming out will get an amazing lunch, and of course multiple samplings of what they are serving! Shifts needed are 10:45 - 12:30, 12:30 - 2:00 and 2:00 - 4:00. Mike's Rotary Club did a great job of assisting us at our Wild Game Dinner, so let's please return the favor!! Those that can help out, please contact Mike at mike.meegan@verizon.net.
Tuesday, March 22nd - The Rotary Club of Brandon got a little bit bigger and a whole lot better this week as the club inducted new member, Chris Myers, as its newest member. Community leader and owner of ACE Heating & Cooling, Chris has impacted the Brandon area greatly with his work on the Greater Brandon Chamber of Commerce board of directors and the several charities that he has made a difference in through his business. After hearing about Rotary for the past dozen or so years from Rotarian Ron Marshall, Jeff Campbell finally closed the deal by sponsoring Chris into the club. As we know, being a member of the Brandon Rotary Club is a tremendous honor, and with it comes a lot of responsibility to be a top notch leader. Chris is a perfect fit! Welcome, Chris!
Tuesday, March 15th - The Rotary Club of Brandon's weekly meeting became a spine tingling experience as Dr. Matt Wilson of Epic Chiropractic and Wellness visited as our guest speaker to discuss the challenges of proper spine alignment in today's technological world. Prior to that, however, our weekly Emcee, Fred Schwabe, got things kicked into gear welcoming several guests, most notably Eleanor Saunders from ECHO. Fred delivered another breakfast joke that met mixed reviews and is determined to regain his momentum for another streak!
This past weekend's Brandon Rotary service project at the Rotary Event Center had a little bit of everything. While many Rotarians were in small teams deconstructing the building, others were in construction mode by building temporary walls for the ones coming down. HRIC, Larry Fassett, (Head Rotarian In Charge) led the small, but mighty contingent throughout the long six hours of work, and a lot got done. Walls were knocked down, the chimney was removed, an entire bathroom was removed, part of the back roof came down and two false walls were constructed.
To say that this was a labor intensive project would be an understatement. Watching the elder statesmen of our club work non stop swinging sledgehammers, carrying concrete all day, throwing around plywood, tearing down a roof, ripping down walls and doing so all day long was truly impressive and inspirational. There truly is a lot of blood, sweat and elbow grease going into the REC by many dedicated and committed Rotarians month after month.
It was a banner evening for the Rotary Club of Brandon this past Sunday as the new Bloomingdale WalMart (store 941), headed by community leader Peter Peck, distributed a check for $500 to our charity fund. In all WalMart contributed $8,000 to 16 local, deserving charities including some of our own charities including The Outreach Clinic, the Boys Scouts, ECHO and the Brandon Sports and Aquatic Center.
Tuesday, February 16th - It was a lights out meeting this week with TECO guest speaker Tad Denham taking center stage with an excellent presentation about TECO's local impact. Tad talked to club members about the new TECO owners, TECO's presence in New Mexico, their continued commitment to the Manatee viewing center and the rise of natural gas as mobile fuel. Thanks, Tad, for a great presentation!
Saturday, February 13th - Brandon Rotarians took time out of their weekend to help lead Rotary's annual Engage Rotary Youth Day held at Rotary's Camp Florida this past Saturday from 10:00 - 4:00. Over 100 area Rotoractors, Interactors and Rotarians joined forces to educate, learn from each other and share Rotary experiences. The day was filled with great talks from District Governor Tom Wagner, District Membership Chair George-Robertson Burnett, awesome Rotarian Nick Hall, an amazing Rotary Youth Exchange student from Finland and many Rotoract presidents and high school Interact members. Team-building focusing on communication, cooperation and leadership were the themes of the day as was a very intensive service project helping Rotary's Camp Florida move their offices to their new location.
The event was a ton of fun for all participants as everyone was organized in six different groups where they competed in a series of team-building tasks such as the four person ski walk, the ever shrinking Four Way Test challenge, the blindfolded water transport game and the team golf ball relay. To experience the joy of Rotary through our youth was refreshing and inspiring to everyone involved. Look out Brandon Rotary, we may have to institute some of these cool things at our next Fireside Chat!!
Tuesday, February 9th - Seats were hard to come by at the Rotary Club of Brandon's weekly meeting as Past District Governor George Robertson-Burnett cooked up some fun, sprinkled in a dash of humor and talked to the club about the Recipe for Rotary. Rotarians were glued to every word, partly due to the fun nature of the presentation, and partly because we were trying to understand English coming from a Scottsman.
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The Rotary Club of Brandon's signature and biggest fundraiser of the year, its historical Wild Game Dinner, celebrates its 40th year and is just weeks away. The Friday, March 4th event held at Lupton's Boggy Bottom Ranch from 6:00 - 10:00PM will have over 600 business leaders, hunters, fishermen and regular guys from all around the Greater Tampa area and beyond. Touted as the biggest guys night out in Hillsborough County, this event has a goal of raising over $50,000 for local charities that will impact thousands of children and families in our area. The premise of the event started 40 years ago by some of Brandon's pioneer community leaders was simply a bunch of guys getting together one night a year for fun, fellowship, talking about fishing, hunting, business and raising money for local charities so they could make a difference. Guys from all over the state drive in for this traditional event that has raised over a million dollars over the years!.jpg)
The Outreach Clinic, Brandon Sports and Aquatic Center, Rotary's Camp Florida, Gulf Ridge Council Boy Scouts' Alafia Canoe and Kayak project, Emergency Care Help Organization (ECHO), Brandon Rotary Club Charity Fund (scholarships), Women's Resource Center of Tampa, Senior Care Group and Family Promise of Greater Brandon.
The walls were shaking, the Earth was quaking, and no, it wasn't an AC/DC back to the 80's concert that had the neighborhood rockin' this past weekend. It was Rotarians showing up in full force for their second service project of the year at the Rotary Event Center. Their efforts yielded lots of sprucing up, cleaning up and some good, old-fashioned lumberjacking! There was plenty to do, and the Rotarians were not going to let a little rain and foul weather dampen their spirits of service. Teamwork and persistence were the themes of the day as trees were spruced up, silt fencing began going up and a big pine tree was going down. Chief Lumberjack, Larry Fassett, was in control of the chainsaw, and used his wily introduction skills to introduce a mammoth pine tree to the ground. 
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February 2nd - It was another packed house at this past week's Brandon Rotary luncheon. Guest speaker, Mike Hazen, took center stage to give the club the low down on drug testing employees, DNA recovery tactics and why having a drug free workplace is so important to safety, cutting costs and creating a better culture for employees. The club recommended a screening for Brian Solano after his team won the Annual Charity Golf Tournament at Buckhorn a couple of weeks ago. Those boys played like they weren't human!
A sea of golf carts carrying community leaders, business owners, Rotarians and supporters rolled in like a high tide this past Thursday, January 21st for the Rotary Club of Brandon's Annual Charity Golf Tournament at Buckhorn Springs Golf and Country Club. Over 120 golfers and wannabe links experts put work and worries aside to become charity-supporting super heroes for a day. The result was tens of thousands of dollars being raised for organizations impacting children, families, special needs individuals, senior citizens and tackling societal issues like homelessness, affordable healthcare, feeding the hungry and youth drowning prevention to name a few. .jpg)
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There were some great competitions from the overall winners to the closest to the pin to longest drive to hole in one and finally the putting contest. While no one won the big Sierra Truck from Rivard Buick GMC, there were several putting pros and long drivers on hand. For those competing in the putting contest, they got a chance to win some money and a free comedy show put on by our very own Fred Schwabe who was in full on comedian mode. We just hope the golfers come back next year!.jpg)
Tuesday - January 21st - Over 30 members and guests attended the Rotary Club of Brandon's weekly meeting to ring the bell, induct and welcome as a new Rotarian, Daniel Coyle. Daniel is a financial planner with Edward Jones, he is married with two sons. He was born in Tampa and graduated from Robinson High School. His hobbies include BBQ especially smoking meats.
January 19th - 
January 5th - Over 40 Rotarians kicked off the New Year with a rousing first meeting of 2016 at the Loft. With the January 21st annual golf tournament at Buckhorn and the March 4th Wild Game Dinner on the horizon, Rotarians showed up in force to hand in their presale tickets and sponsorships and sign up for their foursomes and hole sponsorships.
Question: What do you get when you combine the holidays with the most unbelievable decorator in the world, awesome food and some of the most fun people you'll ever meet? Answer: The Rotary Club of Brandon's Holiday Party hosted by Kimberly and Roger Rivard! That's right, with over 80 plus people sending in their RSVP, the Rivard's put on one of the best parties our club has had in years. The holiday cheer was flowing as Rotarians, spouses and significant others stepped into a Christmas wonderland on full display (awesome job, Kimberly!!) with great food and drinks catered by the Salt Block Catering Company. A huge 
thank you from the entire club to Kimberly and Roger for opening up their home, hosting a fantastic event and providing exceptional hospitality for all of us. It definitely got everyone in the holiday spirit, and it was awesome to see so many of our Rotarians with their spouses and significant others enjoying each other during the festive, holiday season.
Tuesday December 8th - It was a packed house and festive weekly meeting for Brandon Rotarians this past week with Brandon High School's very own Aquilla stopping by to perform their annual Christmas caroling program. Even though it was hot outside in December, the festive choral group took us through a winter wonderland of solo's, duets and full choir songs that got everyone in the holiday spirit. It was so wonderful to see so many young, talented individuals that not only were great singers, but they also are so active in leadership, sports, clubs and community service as well. Thanks Larry Fassett for setting this awesome day up for us!
This week's celebrations include: 
Tuesday 12/1 - The Rotary Club of Brandon's weekly meeting was hopping this past week, even in the absence of crowd pleaser Fred Schwabe. President Chuck had to step in to fill the giant hole left by the club's prestigious Sergeant at Arms. Justin Northcutt, John Dwyer and Alan Feldman took care of the prayer, pledge and four-way test, and the club welcomed visiting Rotarian and former Ohio resident David Hazen and his son, Mike Hazen. Our two birthday boys - Fred Schwabe and Chris Papp - were not in attendance, so the Happy Birthday festivities were put on hold until next week. We said Happy Anniversary to Debbie and Mike Meegan who celebrated their 26th anniversary this week and to Dick Eatman, George Annello and John Gardner who all celebrated Club Anniversaries. The big news of the day was that Ryan Burley went away for Thanksgiving with his girlfriend and came back with a fiancee! It is still unknown if Ryan has told his girlfriend that he now has a new fiancee, but our hope was that it was the same girl!
This week our club has the special privilege of hearing the Brandon High School chorus as they bring their ensemble to the Loft for their holiday choir concert. It should be festive and get us all in the spirit of the holidays.
Tuesday 11/25 - Turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and a plethora of holiday desserts adorned The Loft this past week as Brandon Rotarians came together to celebrate Thanksgiving, friends, family and all the blessings the year as brought. It was a packed house where Sergeant at Arms Fred Schwabe does his best work. Many Rotarians gave Happy Dollars for positive things happening in their lives, and the Club celebrated our Wild Game Dinner hunters. Stories of "the Great Hunt" abounded with John Sellers telling of the doe that cost him a buck and Joe Campoamor's wingman antics for Roger Rivard. Ron Marshall was the most excited as the third trip was the charm for him to finally nab that elusive deer. Congrats to all that went! A big thanks to both Pat Skidmore and Joe Campoamor for securing the Wild Game meat from the trip as well. Appreciate you both giving up a part of your weekend for the club!.JPG)
This week we say a Happy Birthday to Chris Papp (Dec 5th) and Fred Schwabe (Dec 6th)
Tuesday 11/10 - Over 80 Brandon Rotarians and their family and friends joined together on Tuesday, November 10th at Rotary's Camp Florida for the club's annual Seafood Fest & Fellowship event. The evening was filled with lots of stories, laughter and good eating. Live Maine lobsters were delivered earlier in the day, hundreds of shrimp and more crab legs than you could count. The team of John Dwyer, David Sigler and Cade Rivard did an awesome job of putting the event together for us all. Big thanks to all those that helped set up, serve and clean up - Derrell Curry, Pat Skidmore, Larry Fassett, Chris Papp, Debbie Meegan, Chris Larson, Wayne Strohaker and Maria Lewis! Great to see so many of our new members coming out as well. It is these types of events that keep our Rotary club strong and moving in a positive direction. Hope everyone had an awesome evening!.jpg)
Our weekly meeting will feature guest speaker Sally Ordway. Sally was the first female stock broker for Merrill Lynch in Memphis in the late 70's and was a senior VP and investment advisor with Barnett Investments. Her presentation should be a great one for us all! We will also be celebrating several birthdays this month:.jpg)
Saturday 11/7 - What do you call 12 people in a 20 foot Dragon Boat representing our club as the Brandon Rotary Clavicles in the Brandon '86's Dragon Boat Challenge at their annual Seafood Fest? Here's a hint... CHAMPIONS!! That's right, our 12 person crew, made up of Rotarians, friends and family of Rotary and representatives from one of our charities, BSAC, completely dominated the field to take the Championship Oar and claim total supremacy for a year over the likes of Brandon '86, KB Homes, Rivard Buick GMC, two teams from Edward Jones and Arrmaz. How was this even possible? If you ask team captain, John Dwyer, it was totally all about his superior rowing skills in the boat. However, if you ask President Chuck, who was on the Injured Reserve List, it was HIS incredible management skills in putting together the right team (well, John helped with that, too), taking great pictures from the dock, cheering on the Clavicles and awesome heckling skills which he used to totally disrupt the other teams. If you ask everyone else on the team, it was their sheer willpower, strength, teamwork and focus to take down all comers.
It was an awesome day of fellowship, competition and fun for all of us that attended and competed. Big kudos to John Dwyer for leading the team to victory and representing our club with pride. Hats off to Brandon '86 as well for putting on a great event and raising funds for our community. Great to have sister clubs in the Brandon area that share the passion of Rotary and make a positive impact. Now if they could just learn to row in a straight line and not run into the dock, I'm sure THEY would have enjoyed the event much better!
Saturday 10/24 - The Rotary Club of Brandon's Annual Casino Night was in full swing on Saturday, October 24th at the Brandon Sports and Aquatic Center. Over 100 plus Rotarians joined by family and friends enjoyed a night out highlighted by a very competitive Texas Hold 'Em tournament, two Black Jack tournaments, craps, roulette, great food and even better fellowship. The event was a big success as the club raised funds for the new Rotary Event Center.
The Rotary Club of Brandon couldn't have pulled off the event without the help of all of its Rotarians and their efforts, especially those that sponsored the event. A big thank you to all of the sponsors: Rivard Buick GMC, Platinum Bank, Keller Williams, FBC Mortgage, Bank of Tampa, Larson Plumbing, Infinity Lawn Care, Vantage Benefit Solutions, Schwabe Benefits Group, Insurance Bonds and Benefits, Ferraro Haye's CPA's, Brandon Dental Care, Odiorne Insurance, Sellers Financial, The Reynolds Group at Morgan Stanley and Integrity First Title. Also, a special thanks to On the Mark Catering and Casino Nights for providing the game tables and dealers.
Now with this great event behind us, our focus shifts to our January 21st golf tournament and our March 4th Wild Game Dinner. Committees will be forming shortly, and we ask that ALL Rotarians take a part in making these events a success. All of the proceeds from the upcoming events go directly to the charities that we have chosen to support. Troy Dimsdale (Golf Tournament) and Joe Campoamor (Wild Game Night) will be contacting all of you soon.
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Hear Ye, Hear Ye, Hear Ye! The Honorable Rotary Club of Brandon proudly put on its Fall Fireside Chat with a bit of a Medieval flair this past week at Rotary's Camp Florida. With over 50 Rotarians and their guests attending, it was a great evening of friendship, fellowship, good food and festivities. Events coordinator John Dwyer had the event set up, and then handed the baton to Joe Campoamor to take care of the awesome steaks, Susan Thomason to get the kitchen prepped, Sergeant at Arms Fred Schwabe to get the crowd warmed up, and President Chuck Burgess to recap the Rotary's first quarter of success.
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There will be no meeting on Tuesday, October 27th.
District royalty visited the Brandon Rotary Club this past week as District Governor Tom Wagner came to share the focus of our district. He also inducted our newest Rotarian, Maria Lewis, to the club. It was another jam packed weekly meeting with lots happening in the club. Scott Carter and Steve Moran gave everyone an update on the Saturday, October 24th Casino Night and tried to encourage everyone to sell at least six tickets to the event as well as consider having their businesses sponsor at some level. Chuck Burgess updated the club on the new playground event that happened at Rotary's Camp Florida. Their partnership with Met Life and Kaboom! was tremendous as they had over 300 volunteers from Rotary Clubs throughout the area, district leaders, Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office and others that helped construct the new playground. President Chuck also announced the Fall Fireside Chat which will be held at Rotary's Camp Florida on Thursday, October 15th. All Rotarians former, current or future are all invited. John Dwyer will be running the show. Sign up sheets will be available at next week's meeting.
The meeting wrapped up with another reminder to get out there and sell Casino Night tickets!!.JPG)
If you didn't make it to this past week's Super Social at Top Golf, boy did you miss out! Rotarians, guests, past Rotarians and friends all enjoyed rounds of drinks and golf along with some phenomenal fellowship. A great time was had by all, and there were stories aplenty, some could not be printed as to protect the innocent, or not so innocent as was in most cases! One thing about socials for Brandon Rotarians, you find out a lot about them! For instance, did you know....JPG)
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What an awesome meeting for the Rotary Club of Brandon this past week as the 2015-16 charities that the club is supporting were announced, and we got an opportunity to find out that Publix is a lot more than a store "Where Shopping is a Pleasure". The meeting kicked off with some very emotional Happy Dollars as we have many of our Rotarians dealing with very important family matters. We welcomed Maria Lewis as a special guest for the final time (new inductee next week) and Brian Solano, son of Bob. Dick Eatman made us all believe in true love again by announcing he and his wife, Ann, celebrated their 52nd Anniversary on September 14th! That's just plain awesomeness! Larry Fassett got one of our better renditions of Happy Birthday thanks to Jeff Reynolds starting us off in the right key. Happy Birthday, Larry!
Continuing its 64 year old tradition of raising and giving funds to local charities, the Rotary Club of Brandon handed out checks to several Brandon-based non profits this past week. Through its efforts from their signature Wild Game Dinner and Annual Golf Tournament at Buckhorn Golf and Country Club, the Rotary Club of Brandon worked diligently under the Presidency of Craig Oldham to hand out checks totaling over $46,000 to eight well-deserving charities. Those receiving funds this year included Rotary's Camp Florida, The Outreach Clinic, The Women's Resource Center of Tampa, Emergency Care Help Organization, the Brandon Sports and Aquatic Center, Gulf Ridge Council Boy Scouts, the Boy's and Girl's Club of Riverview, and the Brandon Rotary Club Charity Fund for scholarships.
The Rotary Club of Brandon has provided over $1.6 million in financial support and continues to support both local and global efforts with its fundraising, community service and outreach, as well as its international mission of eradicating polio from the face of the earth. The Rotary Club of Brandon is the longest standing Rotary Club in the Greater Brandon area and is poised for more impact in 2015-16. To find out how to give to the Rotary Club of Brandon, support one of its big fundraisers (Casino Night - Oct 24th, Golf Tournament - Jan 21st, Wild Game Dinner - Mar 4th), or to get more information on joining our efforts by becoming a member, please contact current Rotary President, Chuck Burgess, at cburgess@mybsac.org.
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It was another banner day at the Rotary Club of Brandon's weekly meeting with four charities slated to present their case for support this year from the club. However, before the charities got their chance, the one and only Fred Schwabe got things started by introducing some of our guests from Lake Wales, Kim Marcus and Gordon Hoover. It was great to see them travel so far for lunch, and their feedback to us was that we've got a rockin' club! I'm sure we would all agree!.jpg)
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Family Promise of Greater Brandon went next with Edwina Riddick introducing herself and this local non profit to our Club. Edwina discussed all of the great things that this organization does to make a difference in the lives of so many children and families. Their mission is to end homelessness one family at a time. By providing temporary housing and offering case management services, this organization empowers their guests to escape homelessness. Edwina gave an awesome presentation, and we're sure she's making a huge difference in our community.
This week's program includes the Rotary Club of Brandon celebrating the induction of new member, Michael Owen! Also, Brian West, media and community relations for Publix out of the Lakeland Division will speak to us about the Publix Charity program. The Brandon Rotary Club Charity Fund Board will discuss the charities they recommend for the 2015-16 Rotary Year as well. Should be another awesome meeting. Don't miss it!
Federal Prosecutor Andrew Warren visited the Rotary Club of Brandon this past week as a very distinguished guest speaker, and three nominated charities presented to the club about the great things they are doing in our community. The meeting portion was very short this week as the agenda was chock-full of speakers. Eleanor Saunders of the Emergency Care Help Organization (ECHO) got things rolling discussing how ECHO is influencing our community with the over 14,000 people they served last year through their thrift shop and pantry. Eleanor discussed how their big project this year is one of an educational component assisting adults in getting their General Education Diploma. 
On Tuesday, September 15th, Gulf Ridge Council Boys Scouts, Brandon Sports and Aquatic Center, The Outreach Clinic and Family Promise of Brandon all present.
It was a packed house at the September 1st meeting at the Rotary Club of Brandon's weekly meeting at the Loft. Thirty three Rotarians, eight guests and our Assistant District Governor, Mary Boor, were all in the house as the Brandon Rotary recognized the charities they supported this year. After raising over $45,000 through its fundraisers, the Rotary Club of Brandon, which had already handed these charities their checks, got an opportunity to thank them for their service and find out a little more where the dollars were going at the annual charity luncheon..JPG)
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Debbie Meegan - The Outreach Clinic - thanked the entire club for all of their efforts in supporting The Outreach Clinic in reaching more uninsured families in the area. The Outreach Clinic has officially changed their name to better reflect the diverse areas in which they serve.
It was a packed house for the Rotary Club of Brandon's monthly Club Assembly at the Loft. Word on the street is it was like old times with a lot of camaraderie, stories flying through the room and lots of laughter, some of it even coming after one of Fred Schwabe's jokes! Prior to the Club Assembly, the focus was on recapping one of the best service projects the club has had in years at the new Rotary Event Center. Over 30 Rotarians along with family members and friends attended the two day project whereby preparations for renovations took place. There were kudos for John Dwyer and Larry Fassett's leadership in organizing and supervising the project, thanks to some of the harder working Rotarians and even some shots taken at some of the, let's just say, not so construction experienced members of the club, especially President Chuck.
The club also hosted its monthly social at Wing House with a dozen Rotarians and guests attending. The Club even was joined by one of its more illustrious Past Presidents - our 2002 President, Charlie Thurman! It was great having Charlie sharing stories from his time as president and some of the impacting things the club was doing. We would love to see more of Charlie and hope he considers reconnecting with us as a member. Our next big social is scheduled for Top Golf, so you don't want to miss it! Thanks to John Dwyer for organizing!
World travel and a life-impacting experience were the topics of the day at the Rotary Club of Brandon's weekly meeting. Guest speakers Joe Zuknick, who traveled to S4TL this past year, and former Rotary Youth Exchange student, Maggie Thallinger, captivated the Rotarians with tales of world travel through Europe and Canada as well as making friends, gaining confidence and personal exploration at S4TL. It was a feel good day for everyone as these two young leaders shared their appreciation for the experiences they have received through Rotary. Joe Zuknick walked us through his stay in the dorms and meeting his S4TL roommate for the first time to the Rap sessions with Rotarians to skits and projects where he gained confidence and came out of his shell. He also thanked Craig Oldham for nominating him and giving him this life-changing experience.
Happy dollars abounded as Susan Thomason let us know that she FINALLY got gas in her boat, Joe Campoamor was both proud of his son's wedding and happy it was over, Bland Eng thanked Chris Larson for bailing him out (literally) of a plumbing situation, Debbie encouraged us all to please lend a hand if we could to take Mike to his weekly treatments and Derrell Curry was pumped that we got the Rotary Event Center through rezoning! Mike Edenfield let us know that Rotary's Camp Florida was in need of supplies and volunteers to assist with the assembly of the Camp's new playground with their partnership with Kaboom!. Roger let us all know about George Simmons and his current health conditions, and the club wanted him to pass along our well wishes to George and his family.
After many weeks of hard work, planning, meetings and strategizing, the Rotary Club of Brandon was rewarded for its efforts as the Board of County Commissioners voted in unanimous fashion, 6-0, in favor of the rezoning to our property on Ronele Drive and Kings Avenue. We had a ton of support from our club and other local Rotary clubs in our presentation. Special thanks to Cade Rivard, Rocky Santa Cruz, John Sellers, Dave Brown, Lee Elam, Larry Fassett, Pat Skidmore, Bob Solano, Justin Northcutt, Derrell Curry, Roger Rivard, Jeff Reynolds, Michael Gottesman, Chuck Burgess, Cathy Curry (Brandon South Rotary Club), Ryan Burley (Valrico Rotary Club), Eric Judd (Brandon 86) for all making time to show up to the meeting in support of the rezoning. It definitely made a difference!
The Rotary Club of Brandon got down to business with its first Club Assembly of the new Rotary Year this past week with lots of community impacting items on the agenda. First, the meeting got going with Sergeant At Arms, Fred Schwabe, welcoming some amazing guests. Nancee Sorenson from HCC visited the club and told us about some of the great things she is doing at one of the more forward thinking community colleges in Florida. We also had returning guest Michael Owen, and Dave West brought Larry Galin to visit as well..jpg)
Club Assembly began, and the Club was presented with the budget along with a monthly support assessment to aid in the operations of the new Rotary Event Center. The Club was also presented with a motion for allocating $12,000 toward the project as well to assist getting the project off the ground. 
After some great discussion, it was unanimously approved to accept all three motions. Each committee also reported with Roger Rivard (Membership) starting things off with an explanation of how he was going to lead the charge by reaching out to former Rotarians and others that he knows that will make great
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!
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.
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 Padd
