For Key Biscayne Rotarian moms, service above self begins at home | Key Biscayne

Being part of the Rotary Club of Key Biscayne offers many rewards.

Among them is the opportunity to work alongside individuals who are deeply committed to the community and are guided by one of Rotary’s driving principles: Service Above Self.

Within the club, several women stand out not only for their leadership, but for the lasting impact of their work.

From Toby Rohrer, who has helped raise more than $500,000 for scholarships through Dominos for Education, to Ellen Blaise’s efforts alongside Stephen Baker in the fight to eliminate malaria in Latin America, these women are helping shape both local and global change.

They are leaders, advocates and changemakers.

Many are also mothers.

As Mother’s Day approaches, it’s worth pausing to recognize how these roles, community leader and parent, often intersect in ways that are long lasting.

Current Club President Pat Romano is a familiar figure in the Key Biscayne real estate community and a dedicated Rotarian since 2004, serving three terms as president. She is also the mother of two accomplished daughters, “with great supporting partners,” she adds.

When asked about the best part of being a mom, Romano did not hesitate.

“The very best thing about being a mom is being a grandmother,” she said. “I love my two wonderful grandchildren.”

As Mother’s Day approaches, Romano also reflects on a more personal note: “I always remember my little angel Anamaria watching over us.”

Past Club President and Private Banker VP with Amerant Bank, N.A., Mayra Mesa is the proud mother of three adult children and grandmother to nine.

For Mesa, motherhood has been both a guiding force and a lifelong joy.

“The best part of being a mom is watching your children grow into who they’re meant to be and then getting to love the next generation just as fiercely,” she said.

She describes being a mother as her “greatest joy and lifelong purpose,” adding that witnessing her family continue to grow has been “the most rewarding part of the journey.”

All Rotarian women live as an example of spirit of service, but Inés Lozano has taken that commitment to another level.

An educator by trade and mother to her son, Mikey, Lozano is the founder of Flying High for Haiti, a nonprofit focused on expanding access to education in Île-à-Vache, a beautiful but underserved island off the coast of Haiti.

It was there that Lozano began teaching Mikey what it means to make a meaningful difference, bringing him on his first community service trip at just 12 years old. That experience, she said, helped shape his understanding of Rotary’s guiding principle: Service Above Self.

“The greatest gift of being a mother has been watching my son, Mikey, grow into a caring and intelligent young man,” Lozano said. “I am deeply grateful to have a son who brings light not only to my life, but to everyone around him. What more could a mother ask for?”

Dr. Carmen Ortiz, a longtime fixture in Key Biscayne’s healthcare community and founder of the Island Clinic in L’Esplanade, is the mother of four grown sons.

While building her medical career, she made it a priority to be deeply involved in her children’s lives.

“I was active in the PTA at Key Biscayne K–8 Center, and I always volunteered to chaperone field trips, even when it meant working later that day,” she said.

Over time, she says, the role of parent evolves, but never fades.

“As time passes, our children remain our kids, but they also become our best friends. We discuss politics, we share experiences,” she said. “The most important thing to remember as a parent is that we are only truly as happy as our unhappiest child.”

For Ortiz, motherhood is a lifelong commitment.

“Being a parent never ends,” she said. “It is truly the best thing about being human.”

Another Rotary Club past president, Patricia Amat y León, raised her daughter Katerina on Key Biscayne and now watches her thrive as an adult. For Amat y León, “watching your child grow into someone who pairs success with purpose and kindness” is the greatest joy of being a mom. “Seeing my daughter give back to vulnerable communities while remaining deeply devoted to her family is more rewarding than I ever imagined,” she said.

One of the newest Rotarians, Carolina Pacheco Punceles is a behavioral economist and proud mother to Pepe, Oscar and Coco.Her perspective on motherhood has been shaped by distance, “but never by absence of love.”

For Pacheco Punceles, the most meaningful part of being a mom is guiding her children as they grow into who they truly are, “with confidence, values and a strong sense of self, knowing that love does not fade with time or space.”

Her advice to new moms is simple and heartfelt. “Focus on what truly matters. Your presence is not only physical, but also emotional. Our children need love and acceptance, and when they feel safe, seen and supported, they build the strength to navigate the world on their own — no matter the distance.”

Longtime Key Biscayne resident and Rotarian Lyudmila Taran is the mother of two sons, ages 43 and 27. Her oldest son was born in her native Russia, while her youngest was born in the United States. She speaks proudly of both sons, describing them as “hardworking, respected professionals” and “young men who love this country.”

“They are my everything!” she said.

For Taran, motherhood has been the defining role of her life. “Being a mother is the greatest role of my life. I raised my boys alone, in a foreign country, far from everything familiar, and I would do it all again without hesitation,” she said. Looking back, she says she now realizes the strength it took, “strength I didn’t know I had, sacrifices I made gladly, and a love so deep nothing could shake it.”

“Watching my sons grow into the men they are today fills me with a pride and joy that words cannot fully capture,” Taran added. “Being their mother taught me who I truly am.”

Rotarian Francis DeSantis, who splits his time between Key Biscayne and Madison, N.J., offered a tribute to his wife Patricia, the mother of their two sons.

“Patricia is an intelligent, attentive, supportive, loving and kind mother and grandmother,” he said. “She makes the world a better place simply by being in it.”

In many ways, that sentiment extends far beyond one family.

Within the Rotary Club of Key Biscayne, the women who lead, serve and give so generously to others often carry that same spirit into their roles as mothers, raising children, building families and through leadership, service or quiet example, they remind us that the impact of a mother reaches far beyond the home.