Rotary Club hosts member appreciation

The Rotary Club of Longboat Key had a busy evening in the “Zoom Room,” as president Nancy Rozance refers to it, as  two new members were inducted and award winners were announced. 

On June 16, 32 screens of Rotarians located not only on Longboat Key, but also elsewhere in the U.S., Canada and England, logged on for the annual Rotary Appreciation event. It was supposed to be held in-person in March, but with the coronavirus pandemic, no in-person events have taken place for more than three months. 

“I have looked forward to this meeting for many, many months,” Rozance said. 

From their separate rooms, everyone stood for the Pledge of Allegiance before settling in for the meeting. New members Regina Skyer and Jonathan Goldberg were swiftly inducted — again, as they had previously been Rotary members and were restarting their involvement after Rozance got to know them on her daily walks.

“It’s lovely to meet so many new friends,” Goldberg said. “I hope we can meet you all live and share your fellowship.” 

After inducting the new members, Rozance moved on to the awards. Just about every member got one, and they came by mail with specific instructions to not open the envelope until your name was called on June 16. Rozance made sure to say a few words about each member and why they had gotten the award they did, from Scott Wuesthoff’s “Vets Honoring Vets” award to Steve Jackson’s “Jackson of All Trades” award to Joan Sherry’s “Rookie of the Year” award, everyone was grateful for the certificates they received. 

“That was very nice, because it was a surprise,” said Janet Shapiro, administrative secretary and youth chair who received the Paul Harris Award from Rotary International on behalf of Rozance. “I felt very honored receiving that … I was a charter member and I've had those positions for almost six years now. So they felt that was a just reward for me.”

Rotary will meet again on June 30 to  usher in President Brad Marner for the new Rotary year.