Sunrise Rotary Club of Gainesville

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Sunrise Rotary Club of Gainesville

Welcome! We meet Thursdays, 7:00 am, at the Hilton UF Hotel Conference Center, 1714 SW 34th St, Gainesville, FL 32607. Go Gators!

We are all big fans of the University of Florida. We are part of 1.2 million neighbors, friends, and community leaders who come together to create positive, lasting change in our communities and around the world.

08/23/2026

Dorothy Zimmerman, beloved member of Sunrise Rotary Club died peacefully at home on August 16, 2026. She was a longtime UF communications leader, having worked for over three decades, first at Florida Sea Grant and then the Bob Graham Center for Public Service. A Memorial Scholarship Fund has been created to benefit future students at both organizations.

The Memorial Scholarship Fund can be found at this link: https://giving.uff.ufl.edu/giving-opportunities/030493-the-dorothy-l-zimmerman-memorial-scholarship/ The goal is to reach $50,000 which will create an endowment to serve as a legacy for Dorothy.

The memorial page for Dorothy is at this link: https://bobgrahamcenter.ufl.edu/in-memoriam-dorothy-l-zimmerman/. It also includes a link to the obituary and the scholarship fund.

The obituary can be viewed here: Dorothy Louise Zimmerman - Crevasse's Simple Cremation

08/13/2026

Starting off the school year by dropping off supplies!

We were excited to deliver supplies from Sunrise Rotary of Gainesville to Idylwild Elementary. Thank you for helping make sure our students and teachers have what they need for a great start to the school year.

We appreciate your continued support of Alachua County Public Schools

If you or your business would like to get involved, we would love to hear from you.

08/03/2026

Sunrise Rotarians had a great week since last Thursday. On Saturday, five members attended the District 6970 Rotary Learning Institute at Santa Fe College in Gainesville. Kista, Chuck, Darleen and Holly were learning or leading during the event. Dan was meeting about the Rotary Youth Exchange Program.

Last Thursday was the third and final week of the school supply drive, led by Kathy. Enough supplies to fill Kathy’s car were donated and will be used by teachers and students as they begin the new school year. Also in the photo are Bill and President Bill.

07/14/2026

Has your Rotary club banner been unfurled on the top of Thorongla Pass in Nepal? The banner for Gainesville Sunrise Rotary has!

On May 21st, Surise member KC Cole and wife Hera, summitted the Thorongla Pass in Nepal and captured these photos with the Gainesville Sunrise Rotary Flag. This was the pinnacle of their 18-day journey to complete the classic Annapurna Circuit Trek; approximately 130 miles of trekking starting in the town of Dharapani and ending in the town of Ulleri. Highlights from the trip included stays in the towns of Chame, Ngawal, Upper Pisang, Manang, Yak Kharka, Thorong Pedi, Muktinath, Marpha, Ghasa, Tatopani, and Ghorepani with a final hike to P**n Hill with a majestic view of the Himalayas.

This was a major accomplishment for these Rotary flat landers that took nearly a year of planning and physical preparation. They completed this trek with eight other friends (from Gainesville, FL) as part of a small expedition including five porters and three guide from the Nepal Hiking Team who were absolutely amazing.

Hera and KC left Nepal with a great appreciation for the people of Nepal and their spirit of giving and kindness.

07/08/2026

In February, 26 friends went on a Viking Ocean Cruise “In Search of the Northern Lights.” Five were past presidents of Sunrise Rotary and were all Gators. They are featured in the Summer 2026 issue Gators Going Global section of “Florida Gator,” the alumni magazine of the University of Florida.

06/30/2026

Last Thursday evening was the Transition Dinner for the Sunrise Rotary Club of Gainesville. Once some of us navigated our way from The Gatherings at Arbor Greens Apartments to the Arbor Greens Clubhouse, a good time was had by all. Immediate past president Bobbie Robinson gave a heartwarming talk about her experiences as our club president and an eye-opening summary of the great things we accomplished for our community over the past year.

Thank you, Bobbie for your efforts and leadership!

06/09/2026

Sunrise welcomed Dwaine Bush into the club last week. Dwaine is a UF alumnus and a commercial banking manager with Seacoast Bank. He is married to Laura and enjoys fishing and golfing. Congrats and welcome, Dwaine, and thanks to Darlene Morgan for bringing him into the fold!

06/03/2026

On Sunday, May 31, Sunrise Members, Chelsea Patrick and Dan Rodkin, attended the District 6970 Rotary Youth Exchange (RYE) year-end event where the 2025-26 Inbound RYE students had their final gathering before returning home. We also celebrated the 2026-27 Outbound RYE students’ “graduation” from training and moved from RYE candidates to RYE students. During this event, the Sunrise Rotary Club’s 2025-26 Inbound RYE student (Maxim) presented his sponsor’s club’s flag to Chelsea and Dan. They will bring the flag to this week’s Club meeting.

04/19/2026

Sunrise Rotary held its annual Lois and Jim Hensel Firefighter Appreciation Picnic on Saturday, April 18, at Santa Fe College. Firefighters came in a steady stream from 11-1 to enjoy a barbecue lunch provided by David’s BBQ.

Alexander Cowart was the Firefighter of the year for the Gainesville Fire Department. Alexander was presented with his award by Deputy Chief Adam Hinton of the GFD and is shown with President Bobbie Robinson and Dave Ferro, Event Chairman, of Sunrise Rotary.

Jacob Giese was the Firefighter of the Year for Alachua County Fire Rescue and was presented with his award by Battalion Chief Sullivan of ACFR, Bobbie Robinson and Dave Ferro.

Address

1714 SW 34th Street
Gainesville, FL
32607

Opening Hours

7am - 8am

Telephone

+3523775901

Website

http://gainesvillesunriserotary.org/

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