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.
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
Latest Happenings
Update from Rotary Scholar Eddie Fisher
Dear Rotary Family, From the moment I submitted the application to the George Snow Foundation to receiving a phone call from Mr. Allen, my world changed a full [...]
Laura Reiss – Kindness Matters 365 Founder & CEO – Creating a Positive Culture of Gratitude, Compassion and Kindness
The Club was delighted to have Laura Reiss, Founder, CEO & Executive Director of Kindness Matters 365, as our speaker. Kindness Matters 365 programing teaches how (mostly) children [...]
Ralph de la Vega, past Vice Chairman of AT&T – from Cuban Immigrant to Industry Icon
The Club was honored to have Ralph de la Vega as its guest speaker on July 1, 2020. Ralph is the past Vice Chairman of AT&T. He relocated [...]
Rotary Scholarship Recipient Rosa Barbosa Receives Degree
Andrea O'Rourke's mentee Rosa Barbosa just received her AA degree from Palm Beach State thanks to the help of the Rotary Club of Boca Raton. She is now [...]
Craft Talk: Rick Zimmer – Trusted Industry Advisor to the Construction Lending Community
The Club was pleased to hear a Craft Talk with Rick Zimmer, led by Jeff Tromberg. Rick was born and raised in NE New Jersey in a middleclass [...]
John Smarge Regarding the Rotary Sponsored HANWASH Program in Haiti
The Club was honored to have John Smarge of the Rotary Club of Naples speak about the Rotary sponsored HANWASH program in Haiti (along with others shown above). [...]
Past Rotary International President on Hurricane Dorian Recovery in the Bahamas
The Club was honored to have past Rotary International President Barry Rassin to be our guest speaker this week. Barry is a member of the Rotary Club of [...]
OPAL Honoree John Ellsworth Shuff Has Passed
The Rotary Club of Boca Raton is sad to announce that OPAL Honoree John Ellsworth Shuff passed away this past Monday, June 29, 2020 in Boca Raton, after [...]
Craft Talk with Barbara Vega – International Humanitarian
Barbara Vega is Director of Expansion/Foundation Relations with Cross International/Cross Catholic Outreach, an international relief and development ministry in South Florida, with a mission to advance the physical, [...]
Rotary Scholarship Grant to Palm Beach State College to Underwrite Special Vocational Careers
The Club Board recently decided to provide designated support at Palm Beach State College (PBSC) for three vocational programs: • Heating and AC (HVAC) • Marine Serving Technology • Auto [...]
Vanessa Havener – Handing the Gavel to Gary Hildebrand & Recognizing Members for Service above Self
Vanessa introduced the guests: Alan Hines – FAU Foundation District Governor Donna Gaiser, 6930 PDG 6930 & Current District Foundation Chair, Jim Sisserson Norman Matus, President-Elect, RC Boca [...]
Craft Talk: Gianni Morandi
Gianni was born in Caracas, Venezuela. Following his long dream to live in Europe, he moved at the age of 27 to the Valle D’Aosta region of Italy, [...]
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