Eastside 8 all have fresh leadership
By Kyle LoJacono
The Noon Rotary Club of Zephyrhills has a new president, but members will not have to remember a different first name.
Mike Waters will be leading the club for the next year after Mike Mira’s term expired. Waters was officially introduced at a ceremony at Scotland Yards Golf Club just north of Zephyrhills June 24. It is Waters’ second time serving as the club’s president, which is the first instance of someone repeating in the 54-year history of the organization.
“It’s a great honor to serve as the club’s leader,” said Waters, who was also the club’s president for the 1997-98 term. “They are a great group of people and I’m going to enjoy being the president again … Hopefully the club makes it another year with me as the leader.”
Club members vote for the next president each year. The group’s first president was Charles Henderson in 1956-57. Gina Granger led the organization for the 2008-09 election year until Mira took over from 2009-10.
“It’s really been a life-changing experience,” said Mira, who has been in the club for five years. “It gave me a great opportunity to find out what Rotary is all about. It’s the best charitable organization in the world as far as I’m concerned. There are a lot of good groups, but Rotary is just solid in everything it stands for.”
Mira was also the sergeant in arms for the club and was named Rotarian of the Year for the noon organization in 2007.
The group did many charitable things during the last year, including a boot drive with the city’s daybreak club that raised more than $7,000 for Haitian relief after the earthquake in January. It also helped organize the Eastside 8 food baskets. The eight Rotary clubs in central and east Pasco County joined to donate food to needy children.
“Our club really led that effort,” Mira said. “Once we got all the clubs together we were able to do more than we could separately.”
Mira is now the disaster relief chairman for the Rotarian district that includes Pasco, Pinellas, Hernando and Citrus counties and includes 49 clubs. He will assist in organizing help after almost any kind of disaster in local areas to international catastrophes.
Mira said it was working with the other club presidents that was the most rewarding part of his time as president.
“Rotary International has 1.2 million members in 33,000 clubs across 200 countries, but a lot of the time we just stay in our separate clubs,” Mira said. “By getting together with the other clubs we can do more good and next year Mike (Waters) has already said he wants to continue it and make it bigger.
“From what I’ve heard from the people on the west side of the county we will be able to have something with all the Pasco County Rotary clubs to really do a lot of good for needy kids,” Mira continued.
“The Eastside 8 food baskets have really been great for this whole side of the county,” said Mike Wooten, assistant governor for the Rotarian area that includes the two clubs in Dade City and Zephyrhills. “All the presidents have come through by helping with this program.”
For more information on Rotary or to join a club, visit www.rotary.org.
New Eastside 8 Rotary club presidents
Lee McKinney with Rotary Club of Zephyrhills Daybreak
Mike Waters with Noon Rotary Club of Zephyrhills
Don Snyder with Rotary Club of Wesley Chapel Sunrise
John Negley with Rotary Club of Wesley Chapel
Cliff Martin with Rotary Club of Dade City
Andrea Mason with Rotary Club of Dade City Sunrise
Curt Zeigler with Rotary Club of Land O’ Lakes
Suzanne Ritter with Rotary Club of San Antonio
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Getting to know new leader Mike Waters
Mike Waters knows what it means to lead the Noon Rotary Club of Zephyrhills. He was the group’s president during the 1997-98 election year and just started his second term as its leader.
Waters has been in the club for 24 years. He is married to Michele Waters and the two have four children: Ryan, 17; Luke, 12; Will, 10; and Jade, 5.
The Laker talked with Waters about being named president again, what his plans are for the club and why he has stayed in Rotary.
Q: No one in the history of this club has been president twice. What is that like for you?
A: I would say all the other members must have been president already if they would go back to the likes of me. I’m just kidding. Truly it’s special to be elected by the group. I’m ready to lead the club for another year.
Q: Why did you join Rotary and stay in it for the last nearly quarter of a century?
A: I started to get connected with local business leaders in the community. I saw all the great things the club does and that kept me coming back. Also it’s a great group of people to spend time with each week.
Q: Mike Mira is the outgoing president. Tell me what you thought of him as the club’s leader.
A: He was very hands on and very involved in everything the club did. You can’t expect more from a president than what he did during the last year. All the responsibility falls on you as the president and he really stepped up and did everything he needed to do.
Q: What are your plans for the next year?
A: Mike (Mira) and the other presidents have started a great thing with the Eastside 8 food baskets for needy kids. I really want to continue with that idea of working together with the other Rotary clubs in the area. I want to maintain the momentum Mike and the other presidents have started.
Q: Anything else you’d like to add?
A: Yes. We’d invite anyone interested in learning about our club to come to a meeting. We meet each Thursday at 12:15 at the hut at Shepard Park. It lasts about an hour and people can buy a good lunch. I look forward to it each week.
