Rotary Club of LBK inches toward charter

Here’s what the Rotary Club of Longboat Key has done in its first 10 weeks:

It sponsored Mote Marine Laboratory’s visit to a kindergarten class at Tuttle Elementary School in Sarasota.
It assisted with collection efforts and publicity for All Faiths Food Bank’s Campaign Against Summer Hunger.

It’s helping out at the new Selah Freedom House in Sarasota, which will help local sex trade victims.

“One of the rooms was clearly a little boy’s room with mariner blue paint and a huge fan with sports symbols,” said Sydelle Pittas, who organized the new club. “With the thought that two young women would be living there, we volunteered to redecorate, get new furniture and that sort of thing.”

The club started in March with two members and has grown 10-fold to approximately 20 members. The club now has provisional status. When the club reaches 25 members, it can apply for its charter.

The 20 provisional members are a mix of new and longtime Rotarians.

The club is exploring the possibility of several long-term projects, including a Veterans Day event on the Key and exploring the feasibility of a dog park.

Meetings are at 5:15 p.m. Wednesdays, at the Longboat Key Education Center, 5370 Gulf of Mexico Drive, Suite 212. Contact Pittas at [email protected].
 
Contact Robin Hartill at [email protected].