Bolanis takes over Rotary reins

7/1/2011
BY SARA FELSENSTEIN
BLADE STAFF WRITER
Helyn Bolanis, left, and Gary McBride are assuming new Rotary roles.
Helyn Bolanis, left, and Gary McBride are assuming new Rotary roles.

Toledo Rotarian Helyn Bolanis said she is excited to "inspire, lead, and educate" the local Rotarian community as District Governor.

Ms. Bolanis, who was installed Thursday during a ceremony at the Toledo Zoo, is the 98th District Governor of Rotary International's District 6600. She was the 2008-2009 president of the Toledo Rotary Club.

Ms. Bolanis said her new leadership position will be "totally different."

"My job [now] is to be the administrative arm of the district," she said.

She said her main initiative will be a public awareness campaign called "It's About Time ... To Share Our Story."

The slogan has been incorporated into a district-wide campaign to educate local communities about the purpose and goals of the Rotary.

"I want to share the story of who the Rotarians are," she said. "Our work is international and local in scope."

District 6600 includes 64 clubs and more than 3,700 members, making it the second largest district in the state of Ohio.

Ms. Bolanis said the public relations campaigns will include both billboards and staged campaigns, all centered around publicizing who Rotarians are and what they do.

At the Toledo Zoo Thursday, posters lining the zoo walkways were the first of these campaigns. Each poster contained a head shot of a Rotarian, with four descriptive adjectives like "Father, Doctor, Peace Advocate, Rotarian."

Ms. Bolanis said she couldn't be more excited to begin her new office.

"It's an awesome responsibility," she said.