50th Anniversary Celebrations 

Roger and Joan Hayward continue to make up at The Rotary Club of Anna Maria Island and helped the club celebrate their 50^th anniversary on January 22, 2017.  It was a fantastic evening with an all-Rotarian band and student musicians from local schools.

Here follows a synopsis of club activities:

Fifty years ago a small and dedicated group of people began this club, casual and sociable and that inclination for social activity and fellowship characterises the club to this day.

About twenty years ago the influx of visiting Rotarians and retirees swelled the ranks, especially in the winter months, and they brought with them lots of experience in community service, business acumen, and a knack for inviting new members.

Among the enduring reminders of this club’s rebirth is the large “Welcome to Holmes Beach” sign that greets every arrival to Anna Maria Island upon crossing the Manatee Bridge.  This welcome is manifested in club projects such as: grade 3 dictionaries; the Peace Pole project, initiated at Anna Maria Elementary School in the aftermath of 9/11, with a yearly event reiterating the message of peace and fellowship internationally; and the Rotary Reader program, designed to encourage reading, with merit badges to the grade school students for reading books not just individually, but also for reading to kindergarteners.

Club members approached the AMI Chamber of Commerce and initiated the Businessman of the Year recognition that is given out annually. A closer relationship was thereby established with the Chamber, and since then the club has qualified periodically for funds through the Chamber’s Trolley Share Grants that are distributed to local not-for-profit civic organizations.

While AMI Rotary is currently only 30 regular members strong, per capita, the small club has a giving and activity level that ranks higher than many clubs of far greater size. They boast a high percentage of Paul Harris Fellows. The AMI members have also traveled to equip impoverished village schools, install Shelter Boxes in disaster areas, provide polio vaccinations, distribute educational aids, and meet other needs in underdeveloped areas. 

 

Lynn Zemmer (one of the Co-Presidents of club) and Joan Hayward