63rd Junior Orange Bowl Parade

Miami Children's Hospital Float

Soaring to New Heights

The 63rd Annual Junior Orange Bowl Parade, held on Monday, January 2nd, went off without a hitch thanks in no small way to the efforts of our Club.

For the past eight years our Club has worked for the Junior Orange Bowl Parade as Band Ambassadors. While it's a pretty fancy title all it means is that we are there and ready to help out with anything that has to do with the many bands that come to play in the parade every year. It's safe to say that it couldn't go off quite so smoothly without our help either! This year the parade had a total of nine bands, five from out of state. The Clemson Tigers were the largest with 275 band members to take care of. There were bands from Lincoln, Nebraska, Harlem, Georgia, Metuchen, New Jersey as well as Miami High School, Miami Central High School, Braddock Senior High School, Mays Middle School and of course, Coral Gables Senior High too. The 2012 Parade Ambassadors were Bruce Kerestes, Ed Morris, Bill Quesenberry (and Melissa) Frank Sexton, Lorraine Sheldon and Diane Thurston. They said they all had a really great time too!

This year we also undertook a last minute project for the Junior Orange Bowl. They secured Coca Cola as a sponsor and one of the perks was a donation of 140 cases of Coke Zero. They needed someone to handle the sales and so we donned our Coral Gables Rotarian at Work shirts and it was "Rotary to the Rescue"! 140 cases is A LOT of bottles of Coke Zero and needless to say we didn't come close to selling that quantity. But what we didn't make in dollars we made up for in fellowship. It seems that what our club members like most about volunteering is the opportunity to spend time with their friends from the club. So despite the lack of success with the fund raising venture, everyone who worked at selling Coke Zero - including the Rotaractors who joined us as well - had a really good time just being together. It was FUN for all concerned.

Coolers & Wheelies Waiting

Opening Sales Crew

Volunteers included Aaron Glasser, Lan Nghiem-Phu and Mac Long, Keith & Angela Phillips, Hank Collins, Jack Witty, Greg & Nancy Martini, Dick Golden, Elizabeth Silverman, John Wallace, Jon Arthur, George Reeves, Bill & Rita Oates and two Rotaractor, Amanda and Natasha. Junior Orange Bowl is very grateful for our help. Coral Gables Rotary Club Rocks!!!!