Brad Page had achieved most of his business goals at the young age of 28, and after doing so he began to wonder:
What now?
An ad in the paper led him to a new club that was just starting up in the New Tampa area, one that promised great things, like community involvement and helping others.
Twenty years later, Page and the Rotary Club of New Tampa (RCNT), which meets Friday mornings at 7 a.m. at Tampa Palms Golf and Country Club (TPGCC), are still going strong.
“It has been above and beyond what I expected,’’ Page said.
On Nov. 27, the Rotary Club of New Tampa celebrated its 20th year with an appropriate theme — 1995 TV shows and movies.
Members showed up dressed like Woody in “Toy Story”, and others came dressed as their favorite characters from the hits of the year the RCNT was chartered, like “ER”, “GoldenEye” and “Batman.”
The winner of the costume contest was Jerry McGinty, who came dressed as a patient from “ER.”
Special guests at the party, which was held in the evening rather than the club’s usual meeting time, included Rotary District 6890 Governor Tom Wagner and his wife Vicki of the Rotary Club of Temple Terrace, which was one of the club’s original sponsoring clubs )along with the Rotary Club of Ybor City). The entertainment was provided by club member Bob Thompson.
The party was as much a celebration of the timelessness of the club as it was a reflection of the contributions it has made over the years.
“It is a lot of people who do a lot of great things, and we will be continuing that into another year,’’ said 2015-2016 Club President Lesley S. Zajac. “We have 66 members, and we have been as high as 90.”
The club hadn’t even been chartered yet when it received a special award from the Salvation Army for the money it raised ringing bells for the Salvation Army at the Publix in Tampa Palms. It’s first major service project involved planting trees in the median of BBD, and included raising $20,000 which was matched with fund from the City of Tampa. A road sign and plaque were erected afterwards crediting the RCNT for its efforts.
Since then, the club has raised $27,000 to build a local dog park in Tampa Palms (which was matched ….the City of Tampa), bought a cow for a women’s group in Zimbabwe, bought computers for an orphanage in Costa Rica and given money to the ROTC program at nearby Freedom High.
Zajac said the RCNT hopes to officially adopt the dog park this year.
The club also raised $100,000 and helped build a wheelchair accessible playground at Rotary Camp Florida in Brandon, a camp for special needs children and adults. The playground was inspired by one built in Costa Rica by 18 New Tampa Rotarians (and USF Rotary Club members) 18 months earlier.
Page, who has gotten his two teenage children involved in Rotary Club activities as well, is moved when he thinks of all the great work the club has done in two decades.
There are currently two Rotary Clubs in New Tampa, the New Tampa Noon Rotary and the 20-year-old RCNT “breakfast club.” A third New Tampa Rotary Club, which met in the evening, recently folded. There are also two clubs serving Wesley Chapel, the Wesley Chapel Noon and the Wesley Chapel Sunrise Rotary clubs. But the RCNT holds a special place as the oldest and, in some cases, the inspiration for the others.
In June of 1995, District Governor and Tampa Palms resident Dr. William N. Leonard was commisioned to survey the New Tampa area as a potential location for a new Rotary International Club.
The initial application was sponsored by
the Rotary Clubs of Temple Terrace and Ybor City, and the first organizational meeting was held Sept. 13, 1995, at Hunter’s Green Country Club. A name was suggested — the Rotary Club of New Tampa — as were meeting dates and times.
On Sept. 22, a second meeting, with 20 prospective members in attendance, was held. at 7 a.m. at TPGCC. A week later, at a third meeting, 32 prospective members were on hand as Dr. Thomas E. Wade was elected the club’s charter president.
A membership goal of 35 was suggested, and that number quickly grew. On Charter Night at TPGCC on Dec. 2, 1995, the club got off to a record-setting start as it welcomed in 63 members (59 were new, four were former or existing Rotarians), the most ever for a Rotary Club in the southeastern area and one of the largest initial classes worldwide.
Of the 63 charter members, 11 remain active today — Mac Anderson, Dr. Robert Ferrera, Ram Kancharla, David Lanigan, Michael Morris, Dr. Gerard Perret, Matthew Palmer, Robert Van Sickler, Ann C. Wade, Dr. Thomas E. Wade and Bradley Page.
The New Tampa club has a been a leader in Rotary leadership, as well, as three members of the club have been District 6890 Governors, including Tom Wade, Doug Andrews, and Gary Gunter. Gary’s wife Joyce will become District Governor in June 2016.
The club has a tradition that closes out its Friday meetings, called “Happy Dollars.” Members can stand up and, for a donation to help the club’s selected charities, tell the club members what is going on in his or her life.
Last week’s meeting, the last of the year, saw a number of members share their Christmas plans and proudly let the club know which of their grown children were coming to visit for the holidays. Some just donated money to say Merry Christmas to fellow members.
The “Happy Dollars” session raised more than $700 that day.
That’s why folks like Page keep coming back. He now lives in Trinity but drives 45 minutes to meetings. Other members, he says, drive even further, including one who now lives in Brooksville.
“It’s family,’’ he says.
Information from a history compiled by founding president Thomas Wade and his wife and charter member Ann Wade was used in this story. Pictures courtesy of Full Throttle Intermedia.
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