New Valrico Rotary Club Meets at Beef O'Brady's on Bell Shoals

Just two members shy of having the 25 members needed to become chartered, the area's newest Rotary club is now meeting at 4330 Bell Shoals Rd., Valrico, each Thursday at 6:30 p.m.

The new Valrico Rotary Club is being organized by Ryan Odiorne and Chris McGuire, both former members of the Brandon '86 Rotary Club, who said they recognized a need for an evening club for Rotarians who can't get away for club meetings in the morning or at lunch.

"As far as I can tell, we're the only evening Rotary club meeting in the district," said McGuire, who serves as the club's vice president. Odiorne is president of the club.

So far, the club has 23 members and needs 25 to become chartered under Rotary International rules.

"We're very close," said McGuire. "But we're not letting the lack of members stop us. We're already a very active club and we're going ahead with plans for fundraisers."

Formed only five months ago, the club has already raised $7,500 for charity from Operation Gunsmoke, a clay shoot that raised funds for both the Haley House Fund and Special Operations Warrior Foundation.

The Haley House Fund provides living arrangements for families while their loved ones are being treated at the James A. Haley Veterans Hospital in Tampa. The Special Operations Warrior Foundation offers full scholarships to the surviving children of special operations personnel who die in operational or training missions and immediate financial assistance to severely wounded special operations personnel and their families.

The club also has adopted two roads, Little Road and Camp Florida Road,  that members clean on a quarterly basis.

Its next big fundraiser is Pigapalooza, a pig roast scheduled to take place on Cinco de Mayo, May 5, at Rotary's Camp Florida, said McGuire. The club hopes to raise $10,000 from the event.

"We're already very involved in the community," he said.

Club members also are assisting with the at FishHawk Sporting Clays to help raise funds for the Bill Carey Unit of the Brandon Boys & Girls Club. McGuire is a director on the board of the club.

Anyone interested in becoming a member of the new club can visit the club's website at valricorotary.com.