Rotary Club of Longboat Key resumes in-person meetings

The Rotary Club of Longboat Key celebrated two momentous occasions throughout the third week of October — its seventh anniversary and on Oct. 19, its first meeting back in person since before the COVID-19 pandemic started. 

Technically, this was actually the club's second meeting back, but the first one happened before the Delta variant rose up over the summer, so club leadership scaled it back again. Now, they're hoping to keep to their in-person meeting schedule, though they'll still offer a virtual angle too for members who can't be on Longboat Key. 

The Oct. 19 meeting brought new faces to the club. Two new members were inducted by Regional Governor Andy Lyman, who visited and spoke to the Longboat Key group. Much of Lyman's discussion during focused on the importance of reaching into the community and bringing new members in, as well as the 2021 Rotary theme of "Serve to Change Lives," to inspire the Longboat Key club.  

"If there's any one life that you change this year, let that be your own, because if you can't do that then we'll never make change outside this room," Lyman said.

The club also heard an update from Svetlana Ivashchenko, the executive director of Children's Guardian Fund. The groups have been working together for about a year and on Oct. 22, the Rotary Club of Longboat Key will distribute over 200 books and dozens of pounds of food to more than 100 foster children for the annual Harvest Fest Project.