By David Wesley
Recently, the Rotary Club of the Emerald Coast was awarded the District Rotary Club of the Year award for 2020-21. Out of 50 clubs in the 25 counties of District 6940, this club earned the award by doing so many of the things that Rotary values in its members and clubs.
The Rotary Club of the Emerald Coast has consistently reached out to the Veterans at the Sims Veterans Home. The club works to provide fun parties for the residents for Christmas, Mardi Gras, and Halloween. Unable to do in-person parties for much of the year, due to the pandemic the club did not stop but had their Rotary Community Corps club named “Special Ops” create decorations and gift bags to add a festive bit of fun for the Sims residents.
During the Covid lockdown, a rotary grant made it possible for the club to provide iPads to help nursing home residents stay in touch with their families. With the pandemic concerns easing recently, the club resumed the annual Fall Miracle League Baseball Game. Veterans are brought to Frank Brown Park’s Miracle League Field to play a one inning, fun baseball game. Sims staff and residents arrive on a charter bus with a Panama City Beach Police escort and have a Bay County Sheriff’s helicopter flyover, a HOPE Project horse escort upon arriving at the park and a flag line to make them welcome. After the game they and their families are treated to a catered lunch served by the Emerald Coast Rotary Club. Panama City Beach Parks and Recreation are partners in helping with this event. It is a goal of Rotary International that clubs partner with local organizations.
‘Special Ops’ is an auxiliary club of the Emerald Coast Rotary Club for young adults with special needs in the Panama City Beach area. This group, under the leadership of members of the Rotary Club of The Emerald Coast, has given special needs members the opportunity for fellowship and service to our community. Their service projects have included beach cleanups, participating in www.Freerice.com supporting The World Food Programme, community art support, weaving mats for the homeless, volunteering at the Veterans game and unloading wreaths for Wreaths Across America. They worked with a District Rotary Grant to fill backpacks for the homeless with food, masks and hand sanitizer supplies during Covid. This is the only Rotary Community Corps group of its kind in the area and one of the very few in the country.
Visitors are welcome to attend and explore becoming a part of this award-winning Rotary club. Reach out to the club via email at ecrotarypcb@gmail.com, or visit their web site emeraldcoastrotary.com or the Facebook page Rotary Club Emerald Coast, PC Beach. This club, under the leadership of President Mary Pat Zebroski, would love to welcome you to visit and become a part of a club that is doing and living the Rotary International goals and philosophy and making our community even better.
