Luncheon Speakers

Sandy L. Burkart PT, PhD has been a Rotarian for more than 30+ years. Sandy has sought out a purpose with Rotary that would bring him and his family joy. He has dedicated his time as a Rotarian working with Youth Exchange and International Service, where he and Lisa Talley were instrumental in introducing District 6930 to Youth and Peace in Action (YPA), a vital peacebuilding, educational movement spanning across fifteen states, 300+ high schools, and more than 5,000 students. His presentation was entitled, “Art and Peace: Finding Tranquility and Mindfulness in a Moment of Chaos with Henri Matisse [...]

On Wednesday, December 21 the Rotary Club of Boca Raton held its weekly meeting at the S. E. Wimberly Library on the Boca Raton campus of Florida Atlantic University.  Dr. Linda Marie Golian-Lui is the Dean of Libraries, and an active Rotarian for over 11 years.  The Wimberly library includes group study rooms, a graduate study lounge4, seating for over 1,200 users, an electronic classroom, ADA workstations, an audiovisual media center, and three computer labs. Signature collections include the Marvin & Sybil Weiner Spirit of America Collection, Arthur & Mata Jaffee Center for Book Arts, the Recorded Sound Archives, [...]

We were delighted to do a Craft Talk with Todd Halls. Todd grew up in Motley, MN. Small town of a few hundred people. He is thankful to have had some amazing teachers at Motley that didn’t give up on him. He attended college at Minnesota State University Mankato and  Graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Construction Management after a longer than normal college career.  He had a pattern of doing construction and pouring concrete in the summer and was a bar manager the other half of the year for a family that liked him and helped [...]

We were pleased to have Jayamurali Balaguruswany as a guest today from the Rotary Club in Coimbatore, India. He did a banner exchange with Club President Jeff Tromberg. It’s always nice when someone from another country visit our club and say a few words about projects in which they are supporting.

We were pleased to have Matthew ‘Whiz’ Buckley as our guest speaker this week.  From a recent interview: I graduated from Jacksonville University and was commissioned as an Ensign in the United States Navy and was selected for flight training. I flew the F/A-18 Hornet for the United States Navy for 15 years, graduated from the Navy Fighter Weapons School (TOP GUN), and flew 44 combat sorties over Iraq off the aircraft carriers USS Abraham Lincoln and USS Kitty Hawk. As a young fighter pilot, I was also interested in finance and trading (you don’t serve your country to [...]

We were pleased to have Donna Holand, MD as our guest speaker. Donna is a recently retired Psychiatrist. She serves as the guest mentor trainer for the Viner Family Foundation.  Mentoring has been around for a long time, although it has taken different forms. Over time, the word mentor has become synonymous with the terms trusted advisor, friend, teacher, and wise person. A mentor is a caring individual who forms a relationship with a less experienced person during a time in their life when they are facing challenges. Hence, college is such a time when mentoring can help a [...]

We were pleased to have Dr. Dennis Frisch do a Craft Talk today. Dennis is a 2 time Past President of the club. Dennis R. Frisch, DPM, is a board-certified podiatrist and foot surgeon at Boca Raton Podiatry in Boca Raton, Florida. He’s been named 4 times as one of the top 150 most influential podiatrists in America. He has received the Florida Podiatric Medical Association (FPMA) Podiatrist of the Year Award and also the FPMA President’s Award (3 times). He has served as president of the American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA) representing all podiatrists throughout the country. Dr. [...]

We were pleased to have Jeff Gordon, partner at the personal injury law firm Lesser, Lesser, Landy & Smith, PLLC, as our guest speaker. Jeff is chairman of the Board of Directors for Champions Empowering Champions, a Boca Raton-based nonprofit organization that ensures college students who have experienced foster care or homelessness  are empowered to earn a degree and prepare for a rewarding career. Champions Empowering Champions provides students at Florida Atlantic University a support network of mentors and peers, skill development and financial assistance for academic and living essentials. While less than 10% of foster youth graduate from college, [...]

We were pleased to have Dr. Chris Snyder, CEO, Dreyfoos School of the Arts Foundation as our guest speaker. Chris gave a good overview of the School and the many sub-areas of the arts that they support. He also explained how to apply. More information is provided at the end of this writeup.  Dr. Christopher J. Snyder is an accredited Business Development professional whose underlying mission is to instill positive change on a societal level. He has an extensive 10+ years background involving nonprofit business development, marketing, project management, and fundraising. Born and raised in Boca Raton, FL, Snyder [...]