Events

BSRC Speakers’ We will spotlight our own members on their personal projects. Each will give and share a 2-minute elevator pitch on September 17th Meeting.

Together we learn and assist other Rotarians in their projects and nonprofits.

We are small but mighty 

1. Members Speaker series

Sarah Baird Solar Power is Changing Lives in Off-Grid Africa

Mara Huber Experiential Learning and Community Partnerships for Sustainable Development: A Foundational Model for Climate Action

Open to the floor for others who can present a small piece on their careers.

Buffalo Sunrise Rotary Club has been invited by our own Christine Uwimbabazi & Reverien Mfizi home.

Please email Christine at cuwimbabazi@primecarefirst.com to inform them what dish you will bring along for fellowship of our evening. 

more information at our October 1st meeting. 

Kofi Fynn-Aikins, PhD, President, Hope For Sisi’s Kids

Bringing Hope to Kids in a Rural Community in Ghana

Kofi Fynn-Aikins is the President of Hope for Sisi’s Kids (HOSIKIDS.org), an NGO that supports a rural community elementary school in Ghana. The mission of HOSIKIDS is to enrich the lives of uninsured and underprivileged school children by providing access to basic quality education and primary healthcare. Over the past five years HOSIKIDS has partnered with the University at Buffalo School of Management’s Global program on a humanitarian mission to Ghana. The partnership includes medical teams, students and faculty members and citizens of Erie County, NY, who provide medical services and supplies, educational supplies and tutorial services to the community.

Kofi Fynn-Aikins is a retired U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Manager who was responsible for restoring and protecting fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats in the Lake Ontario and Lake Erie watersheds. He managed the Lower Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Conservation Complex, which included five offices in four states. He provided leadership, guidance, and coordination on scientific and technical matters, as well as on community outreach and education.

In retirement, Kofi has been very active pursuing activities he’s passionate about: mentoring, and humanitarian work. As a manager in the USFWS, Kofi was actively involved in training activities at the National Conservation Training Center in WV, on leadership, community outreach and engagement, and diversity. He founded the Fynn-Aikins and Associates, to continue using the knowledge and experiences gained from these training activities to support individuals and organizations pro bono. He’s a Mentor for the National Fish and Wildlife Friends Group, an organization that works with NGOs supporting the National Wildlife Refuge System, and provides leadership support to their Board of Directors. In addition, he’s a Mentor for the Men of Merit Mentoring Program at the Erie Community College, Buffalo NY, helping to foster excellence, distinction and integrity in students, while encouraging them to stay in college, advance academically, and serve their community as they become the men they aim to be.

He’s also a member of the Board of Directors of Amherst Meals on Wheels, which helps to provide the nutritional support needed for elderly and adults with disabilities living in the Town of Amherst, NY, to maintain their independence in their home environment. In 2020 Kofi started a tour business, Center of the World Tours, which leads tours to Ghana to raise funds for his humanitarian work. He’s also a member of the Rotary Club of Buffalo Sunrise.

Kofi has received several recognitions for his leadership in the Great Lakes region, including, Invest in People Award; Conserving America’s Fisheries Award; Milford "Pinky" Robinson Memorial Award; Promoting Our Natural Resources Award; and Diversity Award. He holds a PhD in Ecology from the University of California, Davis; MS in Biology from the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse; and BS in Fishery Science from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

Kofi is married and has a 30-year-old daughter. His hobbies include traveling, visiting natural areas and meeting people from diverse backgrounds. Kofi is also an avid tennis player, competing in the U.S. Tennis Association League in local, regional, and national tournaments. He also coached youth soccer for 26 years. Kofi enjoys music and dancing, and he plays the conga drum.

Please make sure that you vote, if you have, check on your family and friends to see if they need a ride to the polls. 

People can register to vote until October 26th and Early Voting starts October 26th for 10 days

Election day Polls are open from 6:00 AM to 9:00 PM

Dave Alexander likes to balance his time between meaningful work, interesting projects and giving back. 

A proud member of the Rotary Club of Welland since 2008, District Governor Dave Alexander is keen to support clubs in deepening their experiences with their community partners and developing new relationships. Having a clearer understanding of the future of volunteering across our Best of Friends community is the theme of this year's District Conference on Saturday, October 26, 2024, and he hopes it will lead to more membership opportunities, new collaborations, interesting fundraisers, and each Rotarian sharing their Service Above Self experience. The Magic of Rotary is the international presidential theme this year and is an excellent rallying call for the kind of work that we do in making a difference in people's lives. 
 
Dave's main goal in leading the District in 2024/25 is to continue to implement our District Strategic Plan -- and he asks that each Rotarian consider their role in driving this forward with innovation, creativity, and belongingness as core aspects of their efforts. A consideration along the way is to incorporate Rotary's work in Peacebuilder Actions in projects, conversations, habits, and expectations. Dave and the whole District leadership team are thankful to those who have stepped up in a role to support the efforts of our clubs.
 
Dave's first experience with clubs working together in the District was with the International Service Committee. He enjoyed his work as an Assistant Governor, helped grow District 7090’s Healthy Communities project, and is still instructing with the Rotary Leadership Institute. He organized an in-conference panel session on environmental sustainability at the RI Convention in Toronto in 2018 where he found that the Rotary Action Groups (RAGs) were an awesome network to connect with like-minded Rotarians worldwide. He became involved with ESRAG and was part of a panel on Rotary Getting to Net Zero at the RI Convention in Singapore in May 2024. Dave encourages all Rotarians to enrich their member experience by finding their extended Rotary family via the RAG network or through their interests in Fellowships. Dave also looks forward to a strong 'booked early' 7090 contingent at the RI Convention in Calgary in June 2025. 
 
Dave likes the process of innovation, facilitating workshops, and problem-solving, especially where there is a need for change-making on how communities can be more sustainable, productive, and just. He has an interesting work background in economic development, government and politics, plus working with organizations and their boards. 
 
If a hobby is work that you would do for free then he would spend more time on writing, sculpture, futurism, and if the weeds in his yard could speak they would say he has an addiction to sailing. 
 
If you have an idea to implement, want to pitch in, or just want to chat, drop DGE Dave a line at econiagara@gmail.com or reach out via phone/text at 905-329-6026. You can also friend him on Facebook or via other social media.

As we end our last gathering of 2024, we will be together and join in fellowship with a special something to share white elephant gifts with each other to kick off the holiday season. 

 Rotary Area 10 Clubs Buffalo, Sunrise, BNMC, Kenmore, Tonawanda; Amherst South; and UB Rotaractors.

What: A Social Gathering: Sharing the Magic of Rotary - a time to get to know the people in our Rotary neighborhood, not just to hang with our Club. Mingling is encouraged.

Where: Magic Bear Beer Cellar, 799 Seneca Street, Larkinville.  Parking is available across the street and on the street. 

When: January 6th from 5:30 - 7:30 p.m.

RSVP by January 2nd to your Club President for a head count.

Kelly Marie Hamon is a Dale Carnegie consultant and trainer specializing in leadership, communication, and team building. She empowers individuals and organizations to achieve their goals through tailored training and coaching. 

EXPERIENCE 

20 yrs Training/Educating: Corporate, Higher education, Executive coach.

7 yrs Leadership; HR Training Manager, Career Center Director, Training Manager

Industry Experience: Manufacturing, Casino, Healthcare, Banking, Not-for-Profit, Higher Education

Business owner---Resiliency Coaching

SPECIAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Certifications from Dale Carnegie; Effective Communications, Influence without Authority, Winning with Relationship Selling, High Impact Presentations, 

Winner of the Sales Skills Champion Award.

Awards from Toastmasters

Nominated for Teacher of Year by students

EDUCATION 

Masters 

• Education

Canisius University

Bachelors

Communication

University at Buffalo

Glenn Gordon has been a Toastmaster for 15 years, during which time he has served the club in various roles, including President of Downtown Toastmasters three times. He has been a volunteer Area Director and Western NY Division Director.  Along the way, he has competed in the Toastmaster competitions, winning the first place in the Western NY Public Speaking competition.

During his career, he has been a serial entrepreneur, starting two companies in IT related business areas. He has also been a consultant to Fortune 100 companies, and a manager at at Adelphia and HealthNow NY (BCBS).

Currently he is interested in helping people reach their potential as speakers and leaders, using the Toastmasters platform as a tool to help them grow.

Club's website is https://downtowntm.toastmastersclubs.org (https://bit.ly/dttm).  The national organization is at https://toastmasters.org.

In May 2019, two long-standing organizations, Toastmasters International and Rotary International, formed a unique strategic alliance, drawing from the strength of their many similarities and complementary differences. The opportunity for Toastmasters members is primarily to establish fellowship and make new connections, contribute more to communities, and potentially elevate clubs. Rotary members have the opportunity to develop new skills and may ask to visit Toastmasters clubs or receive evaluations. Toastmasters also developed eight educational courses for Rotarians and Rotaractors, available on Rotary International’s Learning Center, which can be accessed by their members in nine languages.

Lisa Bishop, Past District Governor (2022-23) and currently District 7090 Foundation Chair. 

Topic: The Rotary Foundation & special focus on: End Polio & Lisa's experience participating in the 2024 National Immunization Day in India:

-Lisa's first hand experience shared through photographs & stories, that demonstrate the great impact Rotary has made, and updates on how we are close to eradicating Polio. 
-Q & A about The Rotary Foundation with presenting  full program dedicated to TRF, District & Global grants, and highlighting End Polio Now, and the National Immunization Days that Lisa participated in Delhi, India in Feb/24.