On Thursday March 29, the Rotary Club of Belleville was pleased to be able to recognize some community members as Paul Harris Fellows. The Paul Harris Fellow recognition was created in memory of Paul Harris, the founder of Rotary, to show appreciation for contributions to the Foundation’s charitable and educational program.
Many notable figures have been named Paul Harris Fellows, including U.S. President Jimmy Carter, Russian President Boris Yeltsin, U.S. astronaut James Lovell, UN Secretary-General Javier Perez de Cuellar, polio vaccine developer Jonas Salk and most recently Ukraine’s President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Dianne Spencer, Steve Cook and Ann Marie Vaughn who co-nominated Lanny and Catharine Huff said, “They are most deserving of recognition as Paul Harris Fellows. They embody “Service Above Self” through their support of individuals and organizations, building a better community for all. They do not seek recognition, accepting it only to encourage others to step up to support a cause. But it is never self-serving. Their philanthropic support is truly philanthropic. In other words, they seek to promote the welfare of others, especially by donating money to good causes; they are generous and benevolent.
In nominating Rick Watt, Cory MacKay told the Rotary Club of Belleville members, “Rick Watt has been volunteering for over 20 years in our community. He has been a familiar face in the track and field student programs and volleyball as a starter, coach and mentor. He has made significant contributions to the lives of young students through the Algonquin Lakeshore Catholic District School Board at local schools. Rick has also been the face of Operation Red Nose locally since 2003 helping to raise thousands of dollars for the YMCA and Camp Trillium.”
Dr. Ruth Mathieson who had nominated Elizabeth Ewashklw said, “She is a born leader, a hard worker, and a very kind and concerned citizen, and is very tenacious. Knitters United has grown from three original members to 56 in 2002. They have knitted 18,637 mittens and hats with donated wool to the needy children and adults in HPE county. During the pandemic the knitters have taken the finished items to Elizabeth’s home, and she has personally delivered them to the Learning Foundation and to Bridge St. Church, and mittens and hats have been flown to Kenya and to Iqaluit.”
Rotary Club Past President Tim McKinney said, “Rotarians have a tradition of supporting the Rotary Foundation by honoring others and we were pleased to be able to recognize these worthy community members.”
As a global network of 1.4 million people that strives to build a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change, Rotary values diversity and celebrates the contributions of people of all backgrounds, regardless of their age, ethnicity, race, color, abilities, religion, socioeconomic status, culture, sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity.
Visit rotary-belleville.org/ and www.rotary.org/en/about-rotary for more about Rotary and its efforts to create lasting change – across the globe, in our communities, and in ourselves.
