Rotary Club of Livingston Sunrise
Livingston Sunrise Rotary was chartered on July 1, 2004, as a Centennial Rotary Club in Rotary's 100th year. It is unique to Livingston County as it meets for breakfast rather than the traditional lunch meetings. In addition, the scope of community service is county-wide.
The Club chartered with 23 members and has grown steadily to just under 70 members as of June 2024. Livingston Sunrise Rotary Club has earned the Presidential Rotary Club Citation every year since 2005, a perfect record of excellence as defined by Rotary International.
We are involved in a variety of community, vocational, and international projects, which allows us to fulfill the service "passion" of most any Rotary-minded individual. Our major fundraisers also serve as major community events in Brighton and Livingston County. If you had to define a "Club Passion," it would be Youth, as we are involved in a number of projects and collaborations surrounding youth service.
Midnight in the Tropics (MITT) is a March fundraising event that allows everyone to take a break from winter and enjoy an evening in a tropical setting with dinner, dancing, a silent auction, and a lively live auction featuring testimonials from event recipients. Each year, the club chooses three organizations to partner with that improve life in the community.
The Livingston Sunrise Rotary Club coordinates the annual Independence Day celebration in Brighton.
The Hungry Duck Run kicks off at 7 AM and offers runners of all ages the opportunity to compete and raise money and awareness concerning hunger in our community. The club and Gleaners Community Food Bank co-sponsor this event. All proceeds from the run are used in Hunger Projects throughout the County.
The kids up through 10 enjoy the fast-paced "Duckling Dash" on Main Street at 9:30 a.m., just prior to the Parade.
In conjunction with the Brighton Area Fire Authority, the Independence Day Parade steps off at 10 AM from "Old Scranton" High School and proceeds through town to the new High School. On average, more than 75 businesses, Individuals, non-profits, and public services participate in a parade that kids of all ages enjoy.
Our Past Presidents include:
Jim Gilmore (2004-05)
Linda Barnwell (2005-06)
Don Pobuda (2006-07)
Brenda Ochidnicky (2007-08)
Stephen LaCommare (2008-09)
Jim Lawrence (2009-10)
Linda Basista (2010-11)
Wayne Perry (2011-12)
Kate Lawrence (2012-13)
Wayne Perry (2013-14)
Luanne Bibbee (2014-15)
Aleia MacDonald (2015-16)
Jim Watters (2016-17)
Brenda Tipton (2017-2018)
Tim Williams (2018-2019)
James Gilmore (2019-2020)
Pattie Courtney (2020-2021)
Jamie Nicholson (2021-2022)
Donna Gehringer (2022-2023)
Mike Murphy (2023-2024)
Our future presidents include:
Dianne McCormick (2024-2025)
John Scotta (2025-2026)
Jamie Scott (2026-2027)
Our Club has provided nine (9) Assistant Governors for RI District 6380 and two (2) District Governors: Jim Gilmore (2013-2014) and Brenda Tipton (2021-2022). In addition, our members serve as chairs and members of several District Committees.
We have had three women honored at the District level as recipients of the Virginia Nordby Women in Rotary Award:
Brenda Ochodnicky (2014-15)
Aleia MacDonald (2017-18)
Brenda Tipton (2018-19)
Our Club and its members have contributed over $100,000 to The Livingston Sunrise Rotary Foundation through TRF Grants to help people and communities worldwide. In addition, we have contributed thousands of dollars to Rotary's efforts to eradicate Polio from the planet.
The Livingston Sunrise Rotary Club has sponsored two new clubs in Livingston County:
Hartland Rotary Club (2009)
Highway M-36 Rotary Club (2020)
The Livingston Sunrise Rotary Club Foundation, a Public Charity and 501c3 that has contributed over $750,000 in grants and project funding for local projects. In addition, 95% of our members volunteer in local community projects for local non-profit organizations.
If you want to help change the world and our community for the better (and have fun doing it), contact us, and we'll invite you to our weekly breakfast on Friday mornings.
Our meeting motto is “The Weekend Starts Here” and you'll never experience a faster paced way to have breakfast with your fellow community leaders and start your weekend.
