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Tag: Rotary Club of Anna Maria Island

McDaniel returning as Rotary Club president

McDaniel returning as Rotary Club president

Written by Joe Hendricks on . Posted in Community News.

ANNA MARIA ISLAND – Jim McDaniel will serve as the next president of the Rotary Club of Anna Maria Island.

Succeeding current president Laurie Beppler and serving a one-year term that begins on July 1, McDaniel was installed as incoming president during the club’s June 3 board meeting at the Beach House restaurant in Bradenton Beach. McDaniel previously served as the club president from July 1, 2022 through June 30, 2023.

McDaniel returning as Rotary Club president
Jim McDaniel was installed as incoming club
president by President Laurie Beppler on June 3. – AMI Rotary Club | Submitted

On June 7, while attending the Rotary District 6960 annual confer­ence at the Westin Cape Coral Resort at Marina Village in Cape Coral, the Rotary Club of Anna Maria Island received the Small Club of the Year award for the club’s post-hurricane relief efforts in Cortez in the wake of Hurricanes Helene and Milton in 2024. Several club members received Disaster Relief Champion awards and Slicker’s Eatery owner Bob Slicker, who was unable to attend the confer­ence, won the prestigious districtwide Service Above Self award.

McDaniel returning as Rotary Club president
Jim and Susan McDaniel, Judy Rupp and Laurie Beppler were joined by Rotary Club District 6960 Governor Kelsey Sola after receiving their awards. – AMI Rotary Club | Submitted

“It’s a testament to the group and its willingness to dive in and make good things happen,” McDaniel said.

During his previous stint as club president, McDaniel and Slicker helped the Rotary Club of Anna Maria Island raise more than $100,000 to support the war-related humanitarian efforts in Ukraine while also assisting 10 other club causes. The AMI Rotary Club supports several events and activities associated with Anna Maria Elementary School and the club’s inaugural Reel for Rotary fishing tournament that recently raised $25,000 for the continued support of the Cortez community.

Described by McDaniel as “The little club with big ideas, making a difference locally and globally,” the Anna Maria Island Rotary Club is part of the Rotary International organization whose motto is “Service above self” and its seven areas of focus are promoting peace, fighting disease, providing clean water, sanitation and hygiene, saving mothers and children, supporting education, growing local economies and protecting the environment.

For information about club membership and Rotary Club activities, contact McDaniel at Jim.mcdaniel2012@gmail.com.

Gear up for Reel for Rotary fishing tournament

Gear up for Reel for Rotary fishing tournament

Written by Leslie Lake on . Posted in Fishing, Outdoors.

ANNA MARIA ISLAND – The Rotary Club of Anna Maria Island is hosting its first annual “Reel for Rotary” fishing tournament on Saturday, April 26.

Proceeds from the tournament will benefit disaster relief efforts in the Cortez community, as well as support the Rotary “Learn to Swim” program, programs at Anna Maria Elementary School and other projects that directly benefit the AMI community.

The tournament is open to anglers of all ages with both inshore and offshore prize categories.

On Friday, April 25 at 5:30 p.m., a captains’ meeting/check-in is scheduled at Slicker’s Eatery, 12012 Cortez Road W. in Cortez. Lines in begins on Saturday, April 26 at 7 a.m., with lines out at 2:30 p.m., followed by dinner, drinks, a silent auction at 4 p.m. and an awards ceremony at 5:30 p.m. at Swordfish Grill, 4628 119th St. W., Cortez.

The registration fee is $150 for a single angler and $550 for a boat of four and includes tournament entry, a 2025 “Reel for Rotary” fishing shirt, cocktails and dinner and prizes. Youth registration (13 and under) is $20 and includes tournament entry, 2025 “Reel for Rotary” fishing shirt, dinner and prizes.

The inshore grand prize (Inshore Slam) is $1,000. The offshore grand prize (Grouper/Snapper Combo) is $1,000, with additional prizes to be announced. The grand prize for the youth division will be a half day inshore charter with Anna Maria Charters for up to four people (value $700).

The Rotary is seeking sponsors of all levels, donations and marketing items for Captain’s Bags. Tickets are available for both social events. Tournament shirts are also available for purchase.

For more information and to register, visit the event website.

AMI Rotary’s youth program a ‘swimming’ success

AMI Rotary’s youth program a ‘swimming’ success

Written by Jason Schaffer on . Posted in Community News, Manatee County.

BRADENTON – While enjoying a swim in the water surrounding Anna Maria Island or taking a swim in a warm pool is the norm for most people living on the Island, many would be surprised to hear there are children who live only a few miles away who have never seen the Gulf of Mexico or been in a swimming pool.

Armed with this knowledge, the Rotary Club of Anna Maria Island is doing its part to make sure at-risk children have the chance to learn how to swim and learn the basics of water safety. 

“There are over a million swimming pools in Florida, and the state ranks #1 in the number of small children who drown,” said Dennis Schuermann, treasurer of AMI Rotary. “It’s our mission to change this, and educate at-risk and disadvantaged kids who otherwise wouldn’t be exposed to water safety and swimming lessons.”

The Rotary also says for every child that drowns, five more require rescue from life-threatening water accidents. According to a study by the USA Swimming Foundation, about 70% of African Americans do not know how to swim, and 10 people drown in the United States every day. AMI Rotary finds these statistics unacceptable, and while they admit they can’t change this nationally or even for the entire state, there is plenty they can do locally with their Water Safety/Learn to Swim Program. 

“It’s such a joy to watch the progress made in just the first week of lessons,” said Judy Run, who’s been running the program for several years. “The atmosphere in the pool is so visible, happy faces eagerly awaiting their turn with the instructor. Some of the kids have never seen the ocean or been in a pool, so to see them develop a comfort level and feel more confident each day is something to see.”

Although this is the fifth year of the program, it was on hiatus for the past two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Although they received some grants, most of the money raised comes directly from AMI Rotary fundraising efforts, including their annual golf tournament. At $80 per child, and a goal next year of 100 children, this is an expensive endeavor, but Rotarians believe it is a most worthy cause, and have no plans to slow down.

The Rotary is also excited about Florida Senate Bill 364, which was signed into law on Oct. 8, 2021 by Gov. Ron DeSantis. The law makes available a new specialty license plate benefiting the Florida Swims Foundation. After the signing of the bill, swimming and pool industry leaders from the Pool & Hot Tub Foundation (PHTF), the Florida Swimming Pool Association (FSPA) and the International Swimming Hall of Fame (ISHOF) announced a joint partnership to help combat drowning in the state. Proceeds from the license plate will further the cause.

Anyone wishing to make a donation to the Water Safety/Learn to Swim Program can mail a check to The Rotary Club of Anna Maria Island Foundation Inc. The address is P.O. Box 1344, Holmes Beach, Florida 34218.

Slicker, Rotary of AMI continue fundraising efforts for Ukraine

Slicker, Rotary of AMI continue fundraising efforts for Ukraine

Written by Jason Schaffer on . Posted in Community News, Cortez.

CORTEZ – A partnership between Slicker’s Eatery owner Bob Slicker and the Rotary Club of Anna Maria Island to raise money to buy supplies for the people of Ukraine will continue into the foreseeable future.

The two joined forces after Rotary Club members had a meeting at Slicker’s Eatery and began to discuss ways of helping people affected by a war none of them ever wanted, but have no choice but to live through.

“I knew that if we didn’t do something, the news would stop showing it,” he said. “If you ask people around here today, they say they have to turn it off because it’s so hard to watch because they don’t know what they can do or how to help. For three weeks I prayed about how I could help like we do here after a hurricane.”

Slicker’s prayers were answered when he learned the club had Rotary partners close to the war zone in both Poland and Ukraine that could not only assist with moving the funds raised, but also physically transport purchased supplies directly into Ukraine where they are needed most.

“When you try to help people, you always wonder where the money is going,” he said. “The Rotary is very transparent and very reputable; every ‘i’ is dotted and ‘t’ is crossed.”

Some of the efforts of the Polish Rotarians assisting the AMI chapter include creating a make-shift hospital, setting up a refugee center for families, making much-needed supply runs, and purchasing washers, dryers and refrigerators.

“We visited flats where they have as many as seven people living in one apartment and they are allowed one shelf per flat in the communal refrigerators,” Slicker said. “Imagine having only one shelf in a fridge for an entire large family, but they are very grateful to even have that. We want to buy more fridges, more washers and dryers. We have a lot more to do.”

As he addressed the July 12 Rotary meeting, Slicker showed pictures he took on a recent trip to Poland and Ukraine, allowing everyone in attendance to see the people affected by the war and how it has changed their lives. Slicker said he asked just about everybody he spoke to the same questions, including whether or not they thought this war would actually happen or if it was just a show of strength by Putin that would not escalate into war.

“So many people had the same answer to that question,” he said. “We never thought he was crazy enough to go through with it.”

The Concert for Peace event held on the Island on June 12 raised over $50,000 for the Campaign for Ukraine. Shortly after that event, the members of the AMI Rotary Club sent $5,000 to benefit Ukrainians, which was matched by a Rotary District in New Hampshire (7870) for a total of $10,000. The Rotary Club of AMI and Slicker’s Eatery partnership has also released an additional $10,000 to President Wojtek Jankowski of the Rotary Club of Czestochowa, Poland. The clubs communicate regularly with those on the ground internationally and on the front lines using WhatsApp.

At the close of his presentation to the club members, Slicker announced the next event, a pub crawl through Cortez.

The event is planned to include a trolley ride to four local bars, Clancy’s, R.J. Gators, Slicker’s Eatery and Piano 88. The bar crawl is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 13 from 1-5 p.m. Each pub will also have a gift basket to be raffled with funds also going to the Ukraine relief effort. Raffle tickets can be purchased any time before the event at each location. Event tickets are $75, with at least $45 of each purchase going directly to the Rotary’s Ukraine fundraising efforts after expenses. For ticket information, call Debbie at 941-704-3294. Slicker hopes the event will raise around $12,000.

Another Concert for Peace is also being planned for this fall.

Campaign for Ukraine rocks the Center of AMI

Campaign for Ukraine rocks The Center

Written by Jason Schaffer on . Posted in Entertainment, Music.

ANNA MARIA – It was rock and roll for a great cause at The Center of Anna Maria Island, as hundreds of people gathered to listen to live music and raise money for the people of Ukraine.

The event was the brainchild of Bob Slicker, owner of Slicker’s Eatery in Cortez and emcee of the evening’s festivities. Along with the Rotary Club of Anna Maria Island and dozens of local business owners and sponsors, the June 12 event drew a crowd.

“The war started and I was talking to my daughter and my girlfriend and I said we have to do something, this is horrible,” Slicker said. “I kept thinking about it and I thought, gee, they’re going to take this off the news pretty soon because people don’t want to watch war when they can’t help. I knew we had to do something.”

It was around that same time that the Rotary Club of Anna Maria Island began meeting at Slicker’s Eatery. Slicker did some research on the Rotary and saw that there are Rotary Clubs in countries around the world, including Ukraine and nearby countries such as Poland. He approached the Rotary members right away, proposing they join together to hold a fundraising event. With Slicker’s ties to the community and friendships with many Island business owners and the Rotary’s ability to process payments and distribute funds through its partners in eastern Europe, a lot could be done, but more importantly, the funds could be distributed to a war zone, which would otherwise be very difficult. 

Campaign for Ukraine rocks the Center of AMI
A large crowd gathered at The Center of Anna Maria Island for the Campaign for Ukraine Concert for Peace charity fundraiser event. – Jason Schaffer | Sun

Slicker proposed the plan to the Rotary and committed to assisting them for at least one year. During their first meeting, a Rotary Club in New England offered to match the first $5,000 raised, which was done before the Campaign for Ukraine event even took place. This allowed the partnership to send $10,000 before any funds were raised at the concert.

“The Rotary has a Zoom meeting every two weeks which they allow me to sit in on even though I’m not a Rotarian. They break down how they’re allocating the money and where all the money is going to,” Slicker said. “This is boots on the ground – medical hospitals, medical vans, medical supplies, refugee centers and other places where the need is greatest.”

Slicker says the needs are constantly changing since it’s a war and therefore unpredictable. With 50 to 200 soldiers being killed in battle every day, the danger and hardship won’t dissipate anytime soon. He also said the Rotary Clubs have partnered with Ukrainian businesses to help stimulate their business and try to negate at least a little bit of the economic impact of the war. 

Revenue from the Campaign for Ukraine concert was generated through sponsors, many of whom donated valuable prizes to be auctioned off with 100% of the proceeds going to the people of Ukraine. While the concert was free, there was plenty of food and drinks to be purchased, helping to raise even more money. The musicians, Scotty McCoghney, Poppa Grump and Twinkle and Rock Soul Radio as well as the small army of people tending the booths and tables all volunteered their time and services, leaving virtually no overhead costs. 

Campaign for Ukraine rocks the Center of AMI
Poppa Grump entertains the crowd at the Campaign for Ukraine Concert for Peace fundraiser at The Center of Anna Maria Island. – Jason Schaffer | Sun

“Rotary is a five-star charity, we give out everything we take in,” said Jim McDaniel, president-elect of the Rotary Club of Anna Maria Island and director of development for The Center of Anna Maria Island. “At The Center, we’re going to be doing some things with the environment and the Ukrainian effort that will tie The Center in, so it’s great for everybody.” 

McDaniel spoke of a particular Rotary member in Poland who personally drives supplies into the Ukrainian war zone. This man spoke with Rotary Club of AMI members including McDaniel on multiple Zoom calls, giving them first-hand insight into how funds raised are hitting the ground and moving to where they are needed most. 

Anyone interested in helping with the fundraising effort can donate online or email Molly@SlickersEatery.com. 

Concert for Peace highlights local Campaign for Ukraine

Concert for Peace highlights local Campaign for Ukraine

Written by Joe Hendricks on . Posted in Entertainment.

ANNA MARIA – The Rotary Club of Anna Maria Island, The Center of Anna Maria Island, Bob Slicker of Slicker’s Eatery, A Paradise Realty, Painting with a Twist and others are joining forces to assist the war-torn people of Ukraine.Concert for Peace highlights local Campaign for Ukraine

The local Campaign for Ukraine fundraising efforts will culminate with a Concert for Peace fundraising event at The Center, 407 Magnolia Ave., on Sunday, June 12 from 4-8 p.m.

Twinkle and Rock Soul Radio will headline the free Concert for Peace, with The Billy Rice Band also performing as part of the musical roster still being finalized.

Concert for Peace highlights local Campaign for Ukraine
Twinkle and Rock Soul Radio will headline the June 12 Concert for Peace. – TwinkleRockSoulRadio.com | Submitted

A preliminary We Can for Ukraine fundraising happy hour is set for Wednesday, June 8 from 4-6 p.m. at Slicker’s Eatery, 12012 Cortez Road W., Cortez.

Co-hosted by A Paradise Realty, this event will include a raffle featuring as its grand prize a Yeti cooler filled with cheer and valued at $550. A Paradise Realty donated the cooler, the spirits and other goodies contained within. The company is also providing a free drink ticket to the first 80 attendees of the happy hour. Raffle tickets are now on sale at Slicker’s Eatery and can also be purchased during the event that will feature live entertainment by Tanya McCormick, “The Singing Realtor.”

Concert for Peace highlights local Campaign for Ukraine
A Paradise Realty donated this cooler and its contents to be raffled off on June 8. – Bob Slicker | Submitted

Painting with a Twist is partnering with Slicker’s Eatery for the Painting with a Purpose: Painting for Ukraine event at the restaurant on Sunday, June 5 from 3-5 p.m. Some of the paintings created during this event will be raffled off during the Concert for Peace.

Concert for Peace highlights local Campaign for Ukraine

“We have a Rotary president in Czestochowa, Poland who bi-weekly meets and assesses the needs,” AMI Rotary Club President-Elect Jim McDaniel said. “In addition to helping the refugees who relocated to Poland, he has drivers that have been taking supplies into Ukraine. The funds raised here will be held by the AMI Rotary Foundation and distributed in small amounts, probably $5,000 to $10,000 at a time, for specific purposes identified by the Rotary Club Czestochowa and their club president on the ground in Poland.”

The fundraising event organizers are still seeking additional sponsors for the June 12 Concert for Peace. Sponsorship levels range from $500 to $5,000. For more information about sponsorship, email jim@centerami.org or call 941-778-1908, ext. 201.

“We need as much community support as possible in order to make a tangible impact for our friends from the Rotary in Czestochowa,” Slicker stated in an email seeking support. “These volunteers are serving tirelessly and bravely. They are helping to house and care for Ukrainian refugees in Poland and transport specific medical supplies, goods and food for those still maintaining the defense of their country. It is a brave and necessary endeavor that offers hope in a dark time. We are so humbled at the opportunity to help support them. No matter what your involvement, your willingness to help is greatly appreciated. We are grateful for your partnership in this meaningful work.”