ST INS CARES-Estero Rotary Club of Estero-Service Above Self In Estero

A lot of people say they want to “give back,” but the real question is how. We sit down with Gary Israel, president of the Rotary Club of Estero, to get specific about what community service looks like when it’s organized, consistent, and welcoming. Rotary is one of the oldest service organizations in the United States, and Gary explains how local clubs take on real problems close to home while still carrying a bigger mission of service above self. 

We dig into the projects that make the Rotary Club of Estero stand out in Southwest Florida, especially its youth programs. From Rotakids at Three Oaks Elementary to hands-on service like packaging rice and beans for Interfaith Charities Food Bank, the goal is to help kids build responsibility and discover that helping others can actually feel fun. We also talk about practical community support like school recycling efforts and a STEM-based school garden that teaches students how to grow vegetables and think differently about where food comes from. 

You’ll also hear how Rotary funds this work through local fundraising events, including a successful golf tournament, a 5K run supporting children’s mental health, and community celebrations with raffles and 50-50 drawings. Gary shares how listeners can visit a meeting, join a social event, or donate to the Rotary Club Estero Foundation in a tax-deductible way. If you care about volunteering, charitable giving, and local nonprofits in Estero, this conversation offers a clear path to action. Subscribe, share with a friend who loves service, and leave us a review so more people can find the helpers in their own community.

Rotary Club of Estero
Gary Israel
10450 Corkscrew Commons Dr, Estero, FL 33928
(239) 287-4246
glipdg51@gmail.com
esterorotary.org
@esterorotary

State Insurance USA
4450 Camino Real Way
Ft Myers, FL 33966
239-567-9992
office@StateInsuranceUSA.com
stateinsuranceusa.com
https://www.facebook.com/Stateinsuranceusa
#StateInsuranceUSA
#SupportLocal
#WeLoveOurClients
@Stateinsuranceusa

Ft Myers Beach-Good Neighbor
To Nominate Someone to be Featured
Or
To Subscribe to the Newsletter
CLICK HERE
https://cabowabojim.com/listen-to-podcasts/

Transcript

Welcome And Mission Of The Show

Intro/Close 0:00

Welcome to State Insurance USA Cares Podcast, where we celebrate the heart of our communities. Each episode, we highlight local charities and nonprofits who are bringing hope, help, and healing to those who need it most. Get ready to be inspired by the amazing stories of people making a difference. Because together, we care.

Meet Rotary President Gary Israel

Gail Langner 0:19

Well, hello, and welcome to State Insurance Cares Podcast. I'm Gail Langner. Today we're highlighting the Rotary Club of Estero, and they are a group of very dedicated volunteers who believe in service above self. And joining me today is Gary Israel, and he is the president of the Rotary Club of Estero. And Gary, we're glad to have you on today.

Gary Israel 0:42

Thank you for having me.

Gail Langner 0:43

Absolutely. So tell me a little bit about yourself. How did you come to be involved in Rotary?

Gary Israel 0:50

Well, Rotary, for the most part, is uh is by invitation. Uh almost 30 years ago, someone invited me to their home to explore something and was given the invitation to join Rotary. And uh I was I was interested because of something I'd heard when I was a speaker at a Rotary Club meeting in North Fort Myers before that. And once given the opportunity, I I just felt that this was a good fit for uh me.

Gail Langner 1:27

It was for me also, and many years ago when I was living in Minnesota, and um I'm actually a Paul Harris fellow as well, but I haven't rejoined Rotary since I've moved to Florida, but um I felt I felt the very same

What Rotary Is And Why It Matters

Gail Langner 1:42

way about you. If if somebody doesn't know about rotary, they go, what the heck is rotary? Uh can you explain um what Rotary is and and what they do, what what you do?

Gary Israel 1:52

Well, it's the oldest, it's the oldest service organization in the United States. It's 121 years old, started in 1905 in Chicago. And uh it's it's it's it's uh group groups of of concerned, interested uh citizens who get together to solve some problems in our local communities and come and problems worldwide.

Gail Langner 2:19

Yeah. You have a great group there, that's for sure. What are some of the projects that that you've worked on or some programs that you've done through Rotary here in the area?

Kids Programs And Hands On Service

Gary Israel 2:29

Well, we have uh we have a couple programs with youth. We have what we call rota kids in th in the third, fourth, and fifth grade at Three Oaks Elementary School, in meeting with them, teaching good citizenship and responsibility and so forth. We invite them to our club annually to package rice and beans, uh which which is then delivered to Interfaith Charities Food Bank, so they get an uh to experience helping other people and that set of thinking of themselves. I love that. Yes, it's it's probably one of the highlights of our rotary year each year. We do this in February. Do you? And uh and they're and they're just we had 66 students this this last February. Where do you where do you pack, Gary? Where do you do that? Right in right where we meet at the embassy suit. We set up long tables and bring in hundreds of pounds of beans and rice and package them in ziplocks and and haul them. Uh Interfaith comes down and and put and and and delivers them back to their facilities there. And uh it's it really is. It's uh you know uh service above self is exactly right is the rotary motto. So they're they're buying into it. They also take care of the the uh recycling needs at Three Oaks Elementary School.

unknown 3:55

Okay.

Gary Israel 3:55

And uh then we have uh we're sponsoring this year a garden at Three Oaks Middle School. Okay. Kids are kids through the STEM program there are learning how to grow their own vegetables and so forth, and getting that experience. So it's uh it's a lot of fun here locally.

Gail Langner 4:16

I love that. What about the teens? Do you have anything with Interact um here in this area?

Gary Israel 4:22

Uh there is an Interact Club at Estero High School. Okay. Um, but historically, the Benita Springs Club being older than our club, uh, we're just celebrating our 25th anniversary here in Estero. So they've been working with the Interact Club at Estero High School. It's quite a large group over there as well. And so uh they got them involved in doing projects and helping along with with other types of service projects.

Gail Langner 4:49

Well, I love that you're starting with the little ones. I mean, that's that makes quite an impact. And you know, they're gonna remember that forever. They really will.

Gary Israel 4:58

Wait, I think what the best the best statement was one little girl said, I didn't know helping somebody else could be this much fun.

Gail Langner 5:07

Oh, how sweet is that. Well, she's right too, and it makes you feel good about yourself too. Oh, that's awesome. So I'm sure that's one of your favorite experiences, right? It is.

Gary Israel 5:20

We enjoy that every year. Look forward to it.

Gail Langner 5:23

Yep. How

Fundraising That Fuels Local Nonprofits

Gail Langner 5:24

do you raise your money? I know that you know you're you um you are a nonprofit. So how how do you go about raising money for the projects that you do?

Gary Israel 5:35

We we just came off of our our our one of our most successful uh golf tournaments uh in May. Uh filled up the filled up the golf card cards, and uh I don't know, I think we raised somewhere around $28,000, $29,000 this year.

Gail Langner 5:52

Oh, Gary, that's wonderful.

Gary Israel 5:54

Uh that we have about 38, 40 different nonprofits that we support in the area here. Uh we've had uh we've had a 5k run last year uh that raised money for uh for children's mental health. And then we participate uh with Coconut Point and the holiday parade and so forth. On the parade the car show in the in the morning and through 50-50 and different types of raffles, we uh we raise money that in that way as well.

Gail Langner 6:29

Well, I was so excited to be there and and thank you for asking me to join you for lunch. I was excited to be there and then to have the gal from Lutheran Services there because we actually had donated to them as well. And so it was really good. We um have, I I know you've I've explained to you that we have at the end of the year um a thing called Hats Off to You, where we invite all of the local nonprofits that we've donated to throughout the year. Uh this year we'll be uh again at Grandeza. And Blake draws out of a hat for additional funds. And the Lutheran services um were actually they they got $5,000 that night for now, yep. Yeah, it was awesome. So I know you're doing a lot of good things. It it amazes me. One of the things is when Blake and I talked about even starting state insurance cares. We used to call it Love One Another at the very beginning. And there's so many people doing so many great things in Southwest Florida. It just astounds me.

Gary Israel 7:30

This is an amazingly generous area. It definitely is. It really, I mean, it's just amazing how I go, I go to some of these events and and and it's not uncommon for them to raise three or four hundred, five hundred thousand dollars in a couple of hours, you know, and you just think, wow.

Gail Langner 7:49

Yeah, very generous. This this whole area for sure.

How To Visit, Join, Or Donate

Gail Langner 7:54

Um, Gary, if somebody were even thinking about joining Rotary, what would you tell them? How would they go about that? I know you said that you need to be invited. How would that can they come and visit?

Gary Israel 8:05

Sure, absolutely. Just just reach out to us, uh, you know, uh Rotary Rotary Club estero or call me personally or uh talk to any any member of our club, and we'd be more than happy to have them uh come to a meeting or a social event. Uh we'll have a social event tomorrow night at uh at thrush in at Miramar Outlets. Uh and uh and we we want people to know more and more about uh the the uh objects of rotary.

Gail Langner 8:36

Yeah. Well, that's actually good. What's you said to call you personally, would you mind giving us your phone number? Would that be okay?

Gary Israel 8:42

No, 239-287-4246.

Gail Langner 8:47

So if um listeners want to donate, um, is there how should they donate if they if they go, boy, that's something I'd really like to get behind. How would they donate to you?

Gary Israel 9:01

Um we have a P.O. box here in Estero.

unknown 9:04

Okay.

Gary Israel 9:05

PO box 743, uh Estero Florida 33929 for post office boxes. Uh and the check can be made out to the Rotary Club Estero Foundation. Foundation, frankly. That way it becomes a tax deductible donation on on their part. Correct. And so forth. And and we'll and we'll get it and put in a memo line if they have any particular uh cause or reason uh that they're making a contribution. But uh like I said, we we just as soon people uh uh people join us for for lunch at embassy suites, we meet the first and third uh Tuesdays of each month from 11 45 to 1 o'clock.

Gail Langner 9:50

I didn't realize you met twice a month.

Gary Israel 9:53

Yes.

Gail Langner 9:54

Okay, that's great.

Gary Israel 9:57

Especially in the summer months, it you know, it's uh membership dwindles a little bit. I mean, attendance dwindles over the summer months when people go on vacation, or some of them go back north and so forth like this. But uh it it's just more than welcome to join us.

Gail Langner 10:17

Well, wonderful, wonderful. Well, Gary Israel from the Rotary Club of Estero, thank you so much for joining us today. And thank you and all of your volunteers, you all of your members for everything that you do and definitely service above self. So have a wonderful day and thank thanks so much for joining us today.

Gary Israel 10:35

My pleasure. Thank you.

Closing Message And Ways To Connect

Intro/Close 10:37

Thank you for joining us on State Insurance USA Cares. We hope today's story uplifted and inspired you. If you'd like to support or learn more about the incredible work happening in your community, visit StateInsuranceusa.com or call 239 567 9992. You can also visit Cabo WaboJim.com. Until next time, be sure to let your sun shine and keep sharing good and positive vibes wherever the waves take you.