Who We Are

Rotary is where neighbors, friends, and problem-solvers share ideas, join leaders, and take action to create lasting change.

The Rotary Club of Boca Raton consists of 80+ community-minded business leaders from the greater Boca Raton area. Our members focus on making our community a better place to live, work, and play by inspiring and uplifting today’s youth to become tomorrow’s leaders by sharing our virtues and values. Some of our community service projects include: Providing college scholarships for high school seniors, fostering the performing arts in today’s youth, promoting STEM & robotics to middle and high school students, providing dictionaries for Boca Raton’s 3rd graders, assisting local foster children and educating families in need. Rotary’s motto is “Service above Self” and our club members live by that every day to “Change Lives and Build Futures.”

Our club was founded in 1957 by a group of local business professional that wanted to give back to the local community. The Rotary Club of Boca Raton is one of over 35,000 rotary clubs comprising over 1.2 million members around the world. Rotary is a non-political, non-religious organization who mission is to provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through our fellowship of business, professional, and community leaders. Rotary’s main areas of focus are:

Promote peace
Fight disease
Provide clean water, sanitation, and hygiene
Save mothers and children
Support education
Grow local economies

We meet every Wednesday at 12:00PM for lunch at The Pavilion Grille in Boca Raton. Our lunches provide a chance for our members to network with other “Service above Self” minded individuals, learn from a variety of outside guest speakers, and work together on planning community service projects. Additional our club has a lot of activities outside of our weekly lunch from community service projects to casual social events. We also host three major events a year including OPAL, Future Stars, and The Pirate Invasion Run. Rotary is more than a service club, it’s a group of your 80 closest friends who are focused on making the world a better place by helping others and living life by the Four Way Test.

History

President’s Message

Signature Events

OPAL Awards

The Outstanding People And Leaders Awards recognizes citizens in Boca Raton who have demonstrated an on-going commitment to serve their neighbors and our City through Philanthropic, Professional Leadership (Business), Education, Governmental(Civic), Community Service and Medical Service Endeavors. Every January, over 350+ members from our community come together to honor the recipients and raise money for the missions and projects of The Rotary Club of Boca Raton including youth college scholarships.

This one of a kind of event has been recognized by Rotary International receiving a Significant Achievement Award of which only a select few are given out to the over 35,000 Rotary Clubs around the world. Every year the event is a sellout so we recommend purchasing your tickets early to celebrate the people that make Boca Raton one of the best places to live, work, play.

Future Stars

For over 17 years Future Stars has been one of South Florida’s most prestigious middle and high school performing arts competition. In partnership with the City of Boca Raton, the dance and vocal show is hosted live at Mizner Park Amphitheater to over 1000+ people produced by a professional light and sound crew on the same stage some of the nation’s top talent performs. Every year students from across South Florida audition to make the less than 30 finalist acts for the show that will be judged by some of the region’s top talent. Many of our past performers have moved on to the country’s top educational institutions including Juilliard, NYU Tish, and Northwestern and several have become household names in their professional career.

Auditions are open to all middle and high school performing arts students in the South Florida area to compete in our vocal and dance categories. Of the over 100 plus applications we receive every year only the top 25-30 acts make it to become a Future Stars Finalist. We are excited to see this year’s top talent!

Pirate 5K/10K

For over 20 years The Rotary Club of Boca Raton has been helping put on a community Run. Over the years Rotary has partnered with D.A.R.E., the YMCA, XXXX, and many others to promote healthy outdoor fun. This year we have a very special run planned in partnership with the Florence Fuller Child Development Center. Arrrrrrrgh you ready for it?

Grab ye matey, and your favorite parrot, and come run for goodwill and better friendships benefiting the kids of Florence Fuller at our Pirate Invasion Run. Hosted on the world famous A1A Blvd, you will be running along the beaches that centuries ago the real “Pirates of the Caribbean” set foot on. We want to see you best pirate attire and your fastest run times. It’s a friendly family event with special costume contest, live entertainment, breakfast, bounce houses, a special kids run. This professionally timed race by Runner’s Edge is just not for “yar fun luvin running matey” its a beautiful course for professional runners too. Well if be it they like to be chased by pirates! Arrrgh…

Community Projects

Bill Riddick2023-11-20T10:45:05-05:00

College Scholarships & Mentoring

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College Scholarships & Mentoring

Since 1957, the Rotary Club of Boca Raton has been underwriting college scholarships for local High School students through the Club’s “Changing Lives and Building Futures” scholarship program.

Bill Riddick2020-03-04T11:27:34-05:00

Heart Transplant

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Heart Transplant

Ut was a natural fit for Gonnelli to offer to help a local Boca resident, Frank Blome, a 37-year-old, independent house painter, with no health insurance, suffering from congestive heart failure, and in desperate need of an organ transplant, that he could not afford. After learning of Blome’s situation, Paul launched (mostly single-handedly) a community wide campaign to organize many local events, fairs, pot luck dinners, etc. He solicited donations from local churches, civic community, and social clubs, and others to partner, aiming for a heart for Frank Blome.

Alex Buruchian2020-03-04T09:57:21-05:00

Teddy Bear Project

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Teddy Bear Project

In 2003, the RCBR encountered one of the most unique opportunities for a combination Community Service and Charitable Fundraising Project in Club history. Club Member Rick Taylor, General Contractor, was engaged by a client to complete a large tenant office remodel. When he arrived to survey the project, the exiting occupant, a wholesale toy distributor, had a room stacked high

Bill Riddick2019-07-05T10:35:19-04:00

Cat Island Orphanage

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Cat Island Orphanage

The Bahamas is a beautiful travel destination for most, but many times we forget about the homeless youth who reside there. Thankfully, many orphanages exist, but none like the Old Bight Cat Island Children’s Home. Old Bight Cat Island Children’s home was built in 1999 by missionaries Eric, Susan Hall, and their family.

Bill Riddick2019-03-19T17:13:21-04:00

Children’s Reading Room at Boca Raton Downtown Library

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Children’s Reading Room at Boca Raton Downtown Library

When the City of Boca Raton authorized the new construction of the Downtown Library Facility in 2011, the Rotary Club of Boca Raton recognized this as an opportunity to advance the cause of literacy, one of the principle mission objectives of Rotary International.

Bill Riddick2019-03-19T17:12:30-04:00

Matt Cousineau Home Remodel

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Matt Cousineau Home Remodel

In September 2002, a Boca Raton High School senior football player sustained a traumatic neck injury diving into a canal along Lake Ida in Delray Beach. Senior student, Matt Cousineau was partially paralyzed in the accident. As a part of his recovery, there was significant community assistance.