Rotary Happenings: Rotary Club welcomes new members
First on the agenda, last Friday morning, was the induction of three new club members. Club President Charlie Emerson; Membership Chair Eldon Bohrofen, and new member sponsors, Rotarians E. J. Neafsey, Janet Strickland, and John Grey with assistance by Rotary District 6960, Area 4 Assistant Governor, Fort Myers South Clark Rambo (who lives on Sanibel) introduced new club members Rodger Grogman, Darrin Grotrian, and John Henshaw. As part of the ceremony, Bohrofen brought into perceptive the scope of Rotary International’s dedications to humanitarian efforts around the globe serving our local, national, and international communities. Rotary founded in Chicago in 1905 now has 1.2 million members, 34,000 clubs worldwide, and has awarded more than US $1.1 billion in humanitarian and educational grants. The induction ceremony is only the beginning of understanding what it is to be a Rotarian. It takes time to comprehend the scope of what Rotary programs and projects accomplish throughout the world and how our motto “Service Above Self” is lived out around the globe.
The club welcomes new members
Grogman: retired consultant/RPG consulting owner, with in-depth business management and marketing knowledge. Specialized in business strategy development and execution for the integration of products within the wholesale and retail segments. Names in his business sales and marketing portfolio include ECO-CIGS/E-Cigarettes, Armour Food/Healthy Choice Lunchmeat, 7 Eleven/Big Gulp and Big Bite.
Grotrian: banking professional/Bank of the Islands/customer service- Darrin was selected to represent Edison National Bank/Bank of the Islands at the Florida Bankers Association Emerging Leaders Washington D.C. The FBA FlyIn provides young Florida banking professionals with an introduction to the people and agencies in the nation’s capital that have regulatory and legislative impacts on Florida’s banking industry. This provides opportunities for Florida’s young bankers to make congressional and federal banking contacts through a series of educational programs and networking opportunities.
Henshaw: consultant/Cardno ChemRisk-Sr. vice president. John is a health and safety professional with over 40 years’ experience in industrial hygiene, safety, environmental health, and quality assurance. Henshaw also served as the assistant secretary of labor for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) from August 2001 through Dec.r 31, 2004 under President George W. Bush.
Sanibel-Captiva new members were not the only order of the day; the club also had invited back Captain John “Giddy Up” Bunch, founder, and CEO of “Operation Open Arms” (OOA) providing reprieve and relief of stress activities for deserving men and women of our Armed Services brought to the organizations attention.
John spoke of his experience. The year was 1971, wearing his Marine uniform, he was walking through the Washington, D.C. airport where he was called names and spit on by Vietnam War protesters. Oh, he just didn’t let that go, there was an altercation, but it left an indelible impression that made him promise to himself that “one-day he would figure out a way to treat American men and women who serve our country, better than he had been treated that day.” A chance encounter, at a Fort Myers Beach bar would see to that. SPC Travis Downes approached John with a simple question. He wanted to know where he could do some fishing from the beach, or pier before he had to go back to Iraq. John thought for a while and then came his AHA moment, his Oprah moment. If Travis and his father could meet him in Pine Island, he would take them out on his boat to fish. Travis told him he couldn’t afford to rent a fishing charter. John told him no, the trip was on him.
2005 was the beginning of Operation Open Arms. John called on many of his fishing guide friends, hotels, restaurant, wedding venues in the area for help with his long ago promise to himself, one-day he would figure out a way to treat American men and women who serve our country with dignity and respect for the sacrifices then have made to protect us. Since its founding in 2005, OOA has provided nearly 3,000 troops and their families one-week paid vacations valued at $3,500. It also has arranged over 100 weddings, each with a value of $18,000. A more recent service extended to vets by Operation Open Arms is their dedication to the care and treatment of PTSD. With the help of mental health professionals in the area, OOA is providing some services to those returning vets with PTSD. OOA and now 150 local businesses, associations, and individuals have provided charitable resources for over 1,900 US troops and their families since its founding.
Just this past September, John received the Army’s Outstanding Civilian Service Award in Washington, D.C.
Sanibel-Captiva Rotary is now meeting at the Dunes Golf & Tennis Club, Sanibel on Friday mornings. Breakfast 7 a.m. Business meeting 7:30 a.m. Guests are welcomed.