Featured Speaker for October 25th Meeting: Lori Burke Offsite Meeting: Gulf Coast Humane Society Lori Burke, a committed advocate for animals and people, has lived in Southwest Florida for 14 years with her husband, two daughters, two dogs, and four cats.  Originally, from Massachusetts, she and her family have lived in Atlanta, Georgia; Shanghai, China; and Fort Myers.  She firmly believes that the only way to feel part of a community is through nonprofits.  While in Atlanta, she volunteered and provided leadership training at Hands on Atlanta, she was the Executive Director for Shanghai Sunrise, one of the first nonprofit programs of the Shanghai Charity Foundation, supporting the education of Shanghai’s under-resourced youth. In Southwest Florida, Lori worked at Mothers Against Drunk Driving; fundraising and building its programs in the community to include advocating for victims impacted by impaired driving, and providing prevention programs at schools, nonprofits, and various organizations.  Most recently, Lori [...]

Featured Speaker for October 18th Meeting: Dr. Kevin Reynolds, DPT Fitness Quest Physical Therapy Dr. Kevin Reynolds is a native Floridian born in Palm Beach Gardens, FL. Kevin attended Nova Southeastern University in Ft. Lauderdale, FL where he obtained a Bachelors of Science in Biology degree. While attending NSU he was a member of the baseball team and sustained a knee injury, opening his eyes to the world of physical therapy. Kevin had a successful surgery/rehabilitation process and was able to return to athletics at a high competitive level. Kevin then went on to attend the University of Hartford in Hartford, CT where he earned his Doctorate in Physical Therapy. After graduating, he returned to Florida and began his career in outpatient orthopedics. Kevin has worked in a variety of settings and has experience working with a diversity of diagnoses including sports injuries, neuromuscular pathologies, workmen's compensation, motor vehicle accidents, and post surgical [...]

Featured Speaker for October 4th Meeting: Don Thomas Gift of Life of Florida Don was born in Rochester, New York. Don & Sue have been residents of Cape Coral Florida since 1981. He is a Major Donor to the Rotary Foundation, Sustaining Member, and both Sue and Don are benefactors. He is a Charter Member of the Rotary Club of Cape Coral Goldcoast, was the Charter Secretary, and is a Past President of his club. Don was District Governor of 6960 in 2010-2011 and was a delegate to the Council on Legislation 2016. He is an Alumni of the Rotary Foundation. Don was President of Gift of Life of Florida 2016 - 2018. Both Don and Sue are on the Board of Directors. He is a Charter member of the Rotary Leadership Institute Sunshine Division, Discussion Leader and was Director of Training Development. Don was honored to receive the District 6960 “Service Above [...]

Featured Speaker for September 27th Meeting: David F. Hoel, PhD Lee County Mosquito Control District - Malaria Update Dr. David Hoel was born and raised in Columbia, S.C., attended high school in Oklahoma and served 3 years in the Army as an ammunition specialist. Afterwards, David attended Texas A&M University, graduating in 1986 with a B.S. in entomology and later with an M.S. in 1993 with a specialization in mosquito biology. In 1994 he received a commission as a Medical Service Corps Officer in the U.S. Navy, serving as a Medical Entomologist from 1994 to 2017. He deployed to Kuwait in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and served for 2 years as an entomology researcher and department head of the Vector Biology Research Program at the U.S. Naval Medical Research Center #3 in Cairo, Egypt. He completed a PhD at the University of Florida in 2005 studying the bionomics of Aedes albopictus while [...]

September 20th Meeting: Club Assembly Get to Know the Members This week's Rotary Club of Fort Myers Sunrise club meeting will feature the members of the club as the guest speakers. Get to know their hobbies, their backgrounds, and some fun facts! Featured members will be: Dilman Thomas, Jerry Hall, and Robin Gretz. WEEKLY SUNRISE MEETING Join us on Wednesday at the Crowne Plaza Fort Myers at Bell Tower Shops 13051 Bell Tower Drive, FL, 33907 Can't Make it? Join our Zoom Meeting - 2 Ways to Join ONE Click on the link to our ZOOM ROOM below. With this method you can join via a desktop computer, laptop computer, tablet or phone. If you use a desktop or laptop you can use your regular browser or download the Zoom App for your computer. If you plan [...]

Featured Speaker for September 13th Meeting: Ted Sottong CEO - Pickup The Ball Ted has been a Rotarian for over 25 years, and has been a member of the Fort Myers Sunrise Club since 2004.  He is a local architect and founded Pickup the Ball, Inc. in 2012.  Through that organization, he has connected with young men from stressed areas to help empower them to lead their communities with the goal of transformation.  Ted enjoys sports photography in his spare time, along with adventurous travel and making pasta when time permits.  Ted thinks black Air Forces are dress shoes and he gave all his ties away, so in his mind, he dressed up for this occasion. WEEKLY SUNRISE MEETING Join us on Wednesday at the Crowne Plaza Fort Myers at Bell Tower Shops 13051 Bell Tower Drive, FL, 33907 Can't Make it? [...]

Featured Speaker for September 6th Meeting: Alfred Current District 6960 Governor Alfred Current was born and reared in Gastonia, North Carolina. He graduated from Lenoir-Rhyne University located in Hickory, North Carolina with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1976. He was accepted into the management development program with JB Ivey and Company, headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, a retailer now known as Dillard’s. He later moved to the wholesale side of clothing as a manufacturer’s representative for ladies’ apparel. A Church fundraising project put him into the BBQ catering business which then led him to opening a brick-and-mortar BBQ restaurant. Alfred served on several boards while in Gastonia including the Gaston-Lincoln Area Mental Health Board, Gaston County Chapter of the American Red-Cross and Gaston Residential Services-a non-profit advocacy and provider of residential group homes for those with disabilities. He was elected to serve a four-year term on the Gaston County Board of Education [...]

Featured Speaker for August 23rd Meeting: Katie Butte Education Assistant - Holocaust Museum and Cohen Education Center After graduating in 2021 from the Universität Potsdam (Germany) and University College Dublin (Ireland) with a double Masters in International War Studies focusing on the Holocaust, Katie moved from Germany to Fort Myers to be closer to her family. Since moving to SWFL, Katie has joined the Education Department at Naple’s Holocaust Museum and Cohen Education Center where she channels her passion for teaching the lessons of the Holocaust into student and adult tours, creating interactive programming, consulting on exhibits, and carrying out research. Katie is passionate about sharing her knowledge and inspiring the community to learn more about the Holocaust and being an Upstander in their own community. WEEKLY SUNRISE MEETING Join us on Wednesday at the Crowne Plaza Fort Myers at Bell Tower Shops 13051 Bell Tower Drive, [...]

Featured Speaker for August 16th Meeting: Jordan Brown FBI Special Agent - Speaking on Terrorism Jordan Brown began his career with the FBI in Jacksonville, FL, in 2017 as an Intern. For the summer of 2017, Jordan worked on various violations, including criminal and national security matters. At the conclusion of the internship, Jordan was hired full-time as an Operational Support Technician for the Jacksonville Field Office of the FBI. Jordan continued his work in Jacksonville until 2019, when he was selected for New Intelligence Analyst training in Quantico, VA. Upon graduation, Jordan was assigned in Huntsville, AL, at the Terrorist Explosive Device Analytical Center where he worked with scientists to disseminate intelligence pertaining to Improvised Explosive Devices recovered throughout the world. In June 2021, Jordan began training as a New Agent in Quantico, VA. Upon graduation from the Basic Field Training Course, Jordan was assigned to work White Collar Crime in Fort [...]