The President Elect of Rotary International (RI), Olayinka Babalola of Port Harcourt, Nigeria, is the keynote speaker for the Sarasota Rotary Centennial Celebration on April 11^th. Babalola, who has been on a worldwide tour of Rotary clubs and projects and will become Rotary International President as of July 1, 2026, is visiting the Sarasota before heading to a RI board meeting in Chicago, Illinois. He has been instrumental in Africa’s polio eradication efforts, the establishment of a Rotary Peace Center in Kampala, Uganda, and more than doubling Rotary membership in Africa over the past 15 years.

Babalola was hosted by the club in 2011 when he was a Rotary Governor Elect and he is returning to recognize the club’s century of service in Sarasota. “Thank you for all you have done to advance a more peaceful world,” says Babalola. “When we establish Rotary clubs, we commit to building connections, fostering future leaders, amplifying our global impact, and making a positive, long-term difference in our communities.”

Founded in 1926, the Rotary Club of Sarasota is commemorating its 100 years of service to the Sarasota community and the world, not only with its sold-out black-tie gala Saturday night, but also with an announcement of the results of its successful Centennial Fundraising Campaign, which includes funding for its Centennial Project, a named gift of $150,000 toward a food pantry at the new Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota & DeSoto Counties Roy McBean facility. The new food pantry facility will also include the popular Kids’ Café (which began as a Rotary project in 2001), after school learning activities, community engagement events, and five years of the Great Futures Academy, which the club has funded for the past five years.

While in Sarasota, Babalola will also visit some of the club’s major projects, including its Booker Nation Initiative, which features support of the three Booker public schools. The club has contributed over $500,000 to the three schools over the past four years, funding such items as sunshades for an elementary playground, band instruments and a lunch patio at the middle school, and athletic equipment and uniforms for the high school. The intent of the initiative is to serve as a surrogate PTA and athletic booster for the schools with a goal of all three schools achieving A ratings, even amid school district funding cuts.  

Sarasota Rotary Club President Pamela Akins says, “We’re very excited to host the incoming President of Rotary International for our Centennial Celebration. We’re also excited to show off what the club has done for the last 100 years—and is still doing—to make Sarasota and the world a better place for all.”