No Meeting This Week Due to the New Year's holiday, there will be no Sunrise - Rotary Club of Fort Myers meeting this week. Weekly meetings will resume Wednesday, January 8th. To all friends, family, and members of the Sunrise - Rotary Club of Fort Myers: Happy New Year! WEEKLY SUNRISE MEETING No Meeting This Week
Featured Speaker for January 8th Meeting: Tiffany Ervin CART Tiffany is an award-winning keynote speaker, commercial spokesperson, sideline reporter and television personality who resides in Spartanburg, SC. She accepted the position of Executive Director for The CART Fund in May 2022, after serving on the board as VP of Public Image for 4 years. She is past president of the Four Seasons Rotary Club in Hendersonville, NC, and a Paul Harris Fellow +4. She has served Rotary District 7670 (WNC) as District Secretary, Public Image Chair, Membership Chair, District Conference Chair (six times), and Assistant Governor, and she was District Governor in 2019-2020. She was selected to represent her district at the RI Council on Legislation 2023-26. She has served on various Zone 33/34 committees, including Chair of the Emerging Leaders program in 2021 and as an Innovative Clubs Advocate. Tiffany was selected to lead breakout sessions at the 2015 & 2017 Rotary [...]
Featured Speaker for January 15th Meeting: Matthew Johnson Executive Director – IMAG This week's meeting will be held at the IMAG History & Science Center. Executive Director Matthew Johnson will share information on a community partnership initiative with IMAG History & Science Center and Rotary Club of Fort Myers – Sunrise. IMAG History & Science Center focuses on providing the community with a hands-on science and aquarium museum in Fort Myers, Florida. IMAG focuses on providing scientific learning opportunities for children of the community. 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 [...]
Featured Speaker for January 29th Meeting: John McKinnon Executive Director - Midwest Food Bank John McKinnon is the Executive Director of Midwest Food Bank's Florida Division, bringing over 20 years of leadership experience in business and nonprofit management. With a proven track record of revitalizing organizations and driving impactful missions, John's strategic vision and operational expertise have positioned him as a transformative leader in both corporate and charitable sectors. Throughout his career, John has demonstrated a global perspective, gaining invaluable experience through his work across the United States and internationally in countries such as Malaysia, the Philippines, and Nicaragua. His ability to adapt and innovate in diverse cultural and organizational settings has been a cornerstone of his success. Before joining Midwest Food Bank, John served as Executive Director and CEO of multiple Adult and Teen Challenge locations, including the Fort Myers Chapter, and most recently, the St. Louis, Missouri location. Under his leadership, [...]
Featured Speaker for February 5th Meeting: Steve Colgate Racing, A Sailor's Life Olympian, America’s Cup competitor, and ever-present participant on the racing circuit, Steve Colgate personifies the sport and lifestyle of sailing. He has dedicated many years to sailing education for people of all ages and walks of life and has a long history of competing and winning in the sailboat racing world. Steve grew up in Cold Spring Harbor, NY, and started sailing Atlantic Class sailboats and Lightnings on Long Island Sound at the age of nine. A 1957 Yale graduate, he served two years as an Air Force officer and then sharpened his knowledge of all things maritime during a four-year stint at a boat supply store in New York City before launching Offshore in 1964. Steve’s racing career spans seven decades and includes nearly every significant race in the world. In 1955 he crewed aboard the Spanish yacht Mare Nostrum in the 1955 Trans-Atlantic [...]
Featured Speaker for February 19th Meeting: Gary Goforth Club Assembly & Preview of the 2025 Golf Tournament Join us for a special Rotary Club assembly with President Gary Goforth as he shares the latest Membership update and important club news. Don’t miss this opportunity to stay informed, get involved, and connect with fellow members. We will also provide a brief update on the volunteer support needed for the upcoming Golf Tournament—so mark your calendars for Friday, May 2nd, at The Dunes Golf & Country Club on Sanibel Island! The OneDigital Sunrise Rotary ProAm Classic is the premier fundraising event of the Sunrise Rotary Club's Drive For Education. Now in its 11th year, this tournament brings together golf professionals and amateurs for a day of competition and camaraderie - all in support of education. 100% of the tournament's net earnings go directly to local and international education programs, helping to create brighter futures through [...]
Featured Speaker for February 26th Meeting: Albert "Uncle Al" Peterson Presenting on the Amish Culture In his retirement, Uncle Al manages and raises several thousand hogs on farms in Iowa. Part of the Hog operation is having hogs raised on an Amish farm, which has allowed Uncle Al to develop a close relationship with Joseph Borndrrager, his family, and their Amish lifestyle. We hope you enjoy learning about the Amish way of life. WEEKLY SUNRISE MEETING Join us on Wednesday at the Doubletree 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. [...]
Featured Speaker for March 5th Meeting: Peggy Mouracade Global Health Trends Dr. Peggy Mouracade has been a part of the medical community of Fort Myers, Florida since 1997. It was no surprise that she chose medicine as a profession in that she was immersed in this world growing up in West Virginia. Her beloved father, her mentor, was a vascular surgeon and through him she witnessed the joy and fulfillment of being a physician. Peggy’s undergraduate studies were done at Wake Forest University and culminated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology. She graduated with Magna Cum Laude with Honors and elected to Phi Beta Kappa. She was awarded an Upperclassmen Carswell Scholarship at the end of her freshman year. As part of the scholarship, she spent the summer of her junior year in the Philippines studying healthcare delivery. Cementing an early interest in medicine, she remained in Winston-Salem, NC and attended [...]
Featured Speaker for March 12th Meeting: Earl Quenzel 6 Important Lessons Small Businesses Can Learn from Super Bowl Advertisers Join us this week for an engaging Rotary meeting as marketing expert Earl Quenzel takes us on a journey through the history of Super Bowl advertising. From iconic classics to memorable campaigns, Earl will break down what makes these ads unforgettable and reveal the best Super Bowl commercials of all time. Don't miss this insightful and entertaining look at advertising on the world's biggest stage! Earl has served as a past president of the Sunrise - Rotary Club of Fort Myers, president of the McGregor Woods Homeowners Association for 3 years, and currently serves as chairman of the Players Circle Theater board. In addition to his active community involvement, Earl is a partner at Quenzel Marketing Agency with his wife, Colleen. WEEKLY SUNRISE MEETING Join us on Wednesday [...]
Featured Speaker for March 19th Meeting: Tony Power Burmese Python Project Tony grew up back in Brisbane Australia, graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce from The University of Queensland, and then qualified as an Associate Chartered Accountant. His corporate life quickly led him to be relocated to Bahrain with DHL for 2 years, living some of that time in Riyadh Saudi Arabia as well. He was relocated after 2 years for a 4-month stint at the Global Headquarters of DHL in London and then moved once again to Rio De Janeiro as Controller for Latin America for DHL. The then Regional Office was relocated to Fort Lauderdale. After 10 years with DHL Tony moved over to Burger King initially as Latin America Finance Director and completed an MBA at University of Miami, after which he was relocated back to Sydney as Director of Business Development for the South Pacific area. After another 10 [...]
Featured Speakers for March 26th Meeting: Richard Hall & Don Thomas Gift of Life Richard Hall has been a Certified Public Accountant since 1982 and the owner of Richard S. Hall, CPA, PA since 1991. He has been a member of Rotary International since 2003, starting with the Cape Coral Sunset Club and joining the Fort Myers Sunrise Club in 2009. He has served as a board member and officer for both clubs and was President of the Fort Myers Sunrise club from 2017-2018. He is also a Past President of Rotary Gift of Life Florida, Inc., where he now serves as a board member. Richard is also the Treasurer for Rotary District 6960. Richard has been married to Patricia Hall since 1991 and is the proud father of two sons, one daughter, and grandfather to eight grandchildren. Don Thomas was born in Rochester, NY. He has been a resident of Cape Coral, Florida [...]
Featured Speaker for April 2nd Meeting: Robyn DeZego BRM Constructors Robyn DeZego has been a Rotarian since the week she moved to Florida in December 2016. When her four children were in Interact, Robyn was the VP of Carolina Cancer Services and worked full-time at High Point Market Authority, leaving little time to join Rotary. Upon relocating to Florida, one of the first things she did was become a Rotarian. Robyn is the President of the Rotary Club of Bonita Beach Sunset. After cleaning up her home following Hurricane Ian, she joined Current District Governor Kelsey Sola in Fort Myers Beach to assist with mucking and gutting. The following year, after Hurricane Idalia, Robyn teamed up with Kelsey, Judy Hammond, and Exchange student Elo for five days in Northern Florida, helping Disaster Aid USA initiate cleanup efforts. Recently, Robyn became familiar with a company that helps families keep their homes by lifting them [...]
