This week, our very own Area 3 Governor/District Governor Nominee Designate, Annie Campbell, introduced us to our District 6960 Governor Kelsey Sola who shared with us all the amazing things that are happening in our area. Sola proudly shared the magic of Rotary through our accomplishments related to our District, specifically on Disaster Relief.
We all are quite familiar with the recent storms in the past few years that have affected so much of Florida. District 6960, which includes Manatee, Sarasota, Desoto, Charlotte, Glades, Hendry, Lee and Collier counties, was part of creating a state-wide Disaster Response Plan. This Plan decreased the response time for emergencies from 2 weeks in 2017 with Hurricane Irma, to 4 days for Hurricane Ian in 2022 to overnight for Hurricane Helene and Milton in 2024! We have created a list of assets that are offered for assistance to the EOC which includes a Disaster Trailer, Water Filtration Trailer and paratroopers, to name a few.
Another exciting program that has been reinvigorated is the Friendship Exchange Program. This year, local Rotarians will be visiting India in April during their District Conference and then we will be sharing our area with visiting Rotarians in July. These experiences help broaden international understanding, build enduring friendships and provide opportunities for active project involvement and support which lead to a foundation for peace and service.
Kelsey Sola is passionate about real estate, marketing, technology and helping her community. Kelsey’s passion for helping the community is evident in her volunteer work with organizations like Better Together and Rotary International. Kelsey has opened her home and heart to children all across southwest Florida in times of struggle for their families. In addition, she provides mentoring to young mothers who have been through a crisis. Kelsey has been very active within Rotary District 6960 and 6910 and is a Major Donor for The Rotary Foundation. She started her Rotary journey as the Vice President in the Rotaract Club of Naples. She was awarded “Rotarian of the Year” in 2014-2015 from the Rotaract Club. As her love for helping others grew, Kelsey joined The Rotary Club of Fort Myers South as the Satellite Club of Fort Myers South Sunset Committee Chair. She continued to grow this new club and eventually became Charter President of The Rotary Club of Fort Myers Sunset. During this time she was named as District 6960 “Rookie of the Year” for 2015-2016. Kelsey has served as District 6960’s Peacebuilding Exchange Chair and focused on engaging young Rotarians. She has served as District 6960’s Internship Chair which focuses on engaging young professionals and assisting them with their career vision and community service goals. She served three years as an Assistant Rotary Public Image Coordinator for the state of Georgia and Southwest Florida, Tampa and Orlando in Rotary Zone 34. Kelsey now serves Rotary District 6960 as the District Governor 2024-2025.
Sanibel-Captiva Rotary meets at the Community House, 2173 Periwinkle Way and also on zoom. Doors open at 7:30 a.m., the meeting begins at 8:00 a.m. For more information about Rotary, please visit sanibelrotary.org. All are welcome!
