Stories

Scott Johnson Elementary School

Community Service avenue of service director, Bill Smith, guided us to our bicycle involvement with Scott Johnson Middle School in McKinney. Bill's inquiries included a need for textbooks, computers, clothes, and shoes. But, one thing that kept coming up again was the need for transportation. Bill says, "Some students walked up to 2-4 miles, sometimes leaving their house in the dark before sunrise and getting home in the darkness of evenings" because no school buses were assigned to their resident area. In addition, some of the places where the students walked were too unsafe to walk alone. So, the Sunrise Rotary Club purchased 15 bicycles ($100 ea.) for students, plus a bike light and lock. More to come.

Director Bill Smith of the McKinney Sunrise Rotary Club presents a check to the Principle of Scott Johnson Elementary School in McKinney, Holly Rogers, for $4000 to support student activities this year.

Our First Year - The McKinney Sunrise Rotary Club

Our First Year History

The McKinney Sunrise Rotary Club

Chartered on May 22, 1992

The Rotary Club of McKinney Sunrise is celebrating its 30^th club anniversary this month. To be exact, on May 22^nd. The Club started through a unique postcard campaign that the Rotary Club of McKinney was conducting. Unfortunately, their Club had reached the maximum membership growth from the old part of the city of McKinney. However, new members were not coming from the new growth area of McKinney because of the Club’s meeting location, which was downtown McKinney.

The postcard campaign would uncover new potential members for a new Rotary breakfast club and possibly some prospects for them. The McKinney Rotary Club would be ready to sponsor a new club in the Stonebridge Ranch area where the actual new population growth was happening.

The McKinney Rotary Club was ready to make it happen, and this is what occurred below. You can read the story for yourself.

2021/22 Installation of New Officers & Directors

Ceremony service for charting Collin County Rotary

Click here to view the photos

The Rotary Club of Collin County is Chartered!

The Rotary Club of Collin County was chartered as the newest club in RI District 5810 on May 11, 2021. The Charter President is Benita Sharpe who will lead 21 charter members. The club was originally a satellite club of McKinney Sunrise Rotary Club which was formed in 2016 with Lyle and Sandi Froese as club advisors.

The 2020-21 District Governor John Moser, RI District 5810, will present the charter to the club at a celebration dinner on June 17, 2021, at the home of AJ and Lenda Fidelman, 4900 Brook Lane, Anna, Texas.

Officers who will take office on July 1, 2021, are Lenda Fidelman, President; Jeff Shannon, President-elect; Benita Sharpe, Past President; Lyle Froese, Club Administrator; Sandi Froese, Club Secretary; and Stephen Barotta, Club Treasurer. Club meetings are the First Thursday of each month, 5:30 PM at Caddo Offices Reimagined, 6401 Eldorado Parkway, McKinney, TX and Third Thursdays for a Happy Hour TBA.

McKinney Sunrise to provide Scholarships for Collin County College Foundation

We are People of Action!

The club confirmed initiating a scholarship-granting relationship with the Collin County College Foundation. The scholarship granting will be a partnership relationship whereby the Rotary Club of McKinney Sunrise will provide the initial funding of one scholarship Endowment by seeding the endowment with $5000.

This endowment is scheduled to appreciate through additional gifts to a total of $30,000. During the growth period, only interest income will be available for granting scholarship grants. In addition, the Rotary Club of McKinney Sunrise will provide $45,000 for Technical Campus Scholarships in the area of Automotive Technology, Construction Management, HVAC Technology, Welding Technology, and Health Science professions.

Our Flags will be out in the city for Memorial Day

Thank you to all our flag subscribers for your community support of our flag program. Flags will be posted in subscribers yards for Memorial Day, May 31.

Meet Sunrise President Jeff Caserotti

Jeff Caserotti was appointed by the Rotary Club of McKinney Sunrise Board on September 9 to succeed Jana Rine as the next President for the remainder of 2020-21 Rotary year. This is the third time that Jeff has led his club as President. He is a graduate of the University of North Texas with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Finance.
Jeff moved to McKinney, Texas, in 1991 and has been a resident and business owner for 29 years. As a new and young insurance agent to the area, Jeff realized he needed to be involved in his community. When asked to visit a local Rotary club by Early B. Milstead he jumped at the opportunity. He joined the Rotary Club of McKinney Sunrise in 1993 where he has held multiple directorship positions, helped develop and manage the club’s flag program, taught other clubs how to initiate and create their own flag programs, and lead the club as its President on two other occasions. Jeff was also a board member of the McKinney Education Foundation for nine years where he served as President-Elect.

In his spare time, Jeff enjoys remodeling older homes, working on his farm, helping those in need, and spending time with his family, friends and fur babies. Please welcome Jeff Caserotti as the President of the Rotary Club of McKinney Sunrise!

Meet Bill Bilyeu, Past-President

Posted by Sandra W Froese on Jul 01, 2019

Bill Bilyeu was installed as the next President of McKinney Sunrise Rotary Club at the awards and installation dinner on June 23 at Eldorado Country Club. The new president is the Administrator for the Collin County Commissioner's Court. President Bill was a member of the Plano West Rotary Club before transferring to the McKinney Sunrise Rotary Club. He previously served as President of the McKinney Sunrise Rotary Club, so this is his second time around to provide leadership for a growing club. He was the immediate past year's Sergeant-at-Arms for the club meetings.

Meet the Sunrise Club Secretary

Posted by Sandra W Froese on Jun 27, 2019

Meet Charles M. Koehler, the Secretary for the McKinney Sunrise Rotary Club! This Rotarian, who goes by Chuck, has been a member of McKinney Sunrise Rotary Club for 28 years, and is currently our only charter member. Before moving to McKinney, Chuck was a member for 10 years in the Sterling (IL) Rotary Club.

Making Differences

Flag Lease Subscribers Make it Possible

Our flag-lease program makes possible Sunrise Rotary Club's engagement with others to make difference in lives, like our recently opened All-Abilities Playground in McKinney shown above.

Our Rotary Club

Yes, we are sometimes called "The Flag Club." However, in more than 20 years of the flag-lease project, a majority of the Rotary clubs in North Texas are also doing the same. Why? First, we enjoy seeing the display of U.S. flags around our community on each of the flag holidays and see this as a valued service. Second, we also enjoy using the funds received from flag lease to offer service to many others in need. See the link "Avenues of Service" to see where these funds have been applied to our non-profit connections in the community and in the world.

All (12) anniversery (1) Flags (1) history (1) installation (1) McKinney Sunrise (1) new directors (1) new officers (1) People of Action (1) rotary (1) Rotary (1) Scholarships (1)