Tampa West Latin Rotary Club

On January 17^th, 1987 the Rotary Club of Tampa West Charter was presented to twenty businessmen and professionals by the then Rotary International Director Roberto Valentín of Puerto Rico. The club was sponsed by The Rotary Club of Ybor City. Promoting the ideal of Rotary, Service Above Self, Tampa West began to impact the Tampa Bay Community. It sponsored another Rotary Club in the Town & Country area.

The Tampa West Rotary Club has performed numerous community service projects for the needy and the handicapped. It has provided support to Angels Unaware, The Salvation Army, Habitat for Humanity, DACCO, Hispanic Services Council, The Ronald McDonald House, ElderMed and Thanksgiving and Christmas groceries and toys for needy migrant workers’ families in the Tampa Bay area. Tampa West was also a volunteer participant and donor for the Tampa Playground Mania Project at Al Lopez Park. The Rotarians of Tampa West have been very active with Rotary’s Camp Florida, which enables children with serious diseases and victims of emotional and physical abuse and their families to enjoy a camping experience.  The club has established a scholarship fund to support two deserving students at the University of South Florida in memory of our beloved Billy Viera.  Together with Rotary International, Heartbeat International and the Rotary Club of Bogotá Occidente, Tampa West Latin aided in establishing a pacemaker bank for indigent cardiac patients in Colombia. Tampa West Latin was also active in the relief efforts for the victims of Hurricane Georges in the Caribbean and the devastating earthquakes in Colombia, Haiti and Chile.  Along with Dist. 6890, the Ybor City Rotary Club and several Rotarians from the district, Tampa West Latin helped in the reconstruction of a rural community school destroyed by hurricane Georges in Puerto Rico. Tampa West Latin is also very actively involved in the Gift of Life Program currently managing the Matching Grant supporting the project which provides free heart surgery to indigent children from throughout the World.