Cocoa Rotary Celebrates 100 Years of Community Service
Rotary is an organization made up of business and professional leaders looking to give back to their community. With over 1.4 million members, Rotarians worldwide volunteer their time and skill to address both global issues and local needs. Here on the Space Coast, there is a Rotary Club near you no matter where you live.
This year, one of Brevard’s oldest clubs, the Cocoa Rotary, is celebrating its 100-year anniversary. The club, made up of over 40 members from all walks of life, meets every Tuesday on the Eastern Florida State College campus in Cocoa. The club is open to all who apply, and welcomes diversity in its membership.
“The idea is for all different types of people to interact,” said retired judge and board member Rebecca Koppes Conway. “And while they are doing that, serve the community as part of their mission. It gets people together with other community members who are promoting the idea of doing things to make our community better. That's the unique idea of Rotary.”
“Service above self is the motto since the beginning,” added club president-elect Tonya Cherry.
Rotary is not a “check writing club.” Members are actively involved in both the club and our community. The Cocoa club’s main priority is serving the youth in the surrounding neighborhoods. Other areas of focus include working with both Brevard Sharing Center and the Humane Society.
“I felt like I needed to give back. I was drawn to the actual, physical interaction and work,” said Donna Friswell, a retired travel agent who serves on the club’s board of directors. “One way to give is to give of your time. Our members like to do service projects. We have several lined up for this year. We just packed 50 birthday boxes that go to Meals on Wheels. We are also going to be packing for the Children’s Hunger Project, packing meals at the Brevard Sharing Center, and cleaning along the shoreline of the Indian River Lagoon.”
The club sponsors events, such as the recent Party in the Park and an upcoming casino night, to raise funds to support these projects. In addition to their partnership with local agencies, the club endows two scholarships at EFSC and pays for local youth to attend leadership camp each summer. As part of a nationally recognized drowning prevention program, they visit area first- and second-grade classrooms with Josh the Otter.
Most recently, they donated a clock in downtown Cocoa Village in honor of their 100-year anniversary. There will be a dedication ceremony at 4 p.m. on March 19 at the clock in Myrt Tharpe Square in the Village. Cocoa Rotary will also celebrate their 100th Anniversary with a gala on Dec. 12, the month they were chartered back in 1924.
Rotarians are required to attend 60% of meetings, though many members will go above and beyond to keep up their attendance, going to meetings even when they travel.
“When I got married in 1966, I was already in Rotary,” said Frank Sullivan, who has been a member of the Cocoa Rotary Club for over 60 years. “And we were having an attendance contest. My wife and I went to Jamaica on our honeymoon and I had to make up Rotary. She’s never let me forget that on our honeymoon, I went to a Rotary meeting.”
Being a Rotarian is a source of pride for all of the Cocoa members. It’s a way of belonging to both a local and a worldwide family.
“This club, and other rotary clubs around the world, are doing service for the communities they live in”, said past president and long-time member Lowell Loadholtz. “We do it for the communities we love.”
Upcoming Events
- March 19, 4 p.m.: Dedication of clock at Myrt Tharpe Square in downtown Cocoa Village.
- Dec. 12: 100th Anniversary gala on Dec. 12.
- Check their pages below for more events.
Connect
cocoarotary.com
Facebook group
Instagram: @cocoa_rotary
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