Centerville eBulletin 06 24 2021 (Jun 25, 2021)

CENTERVILLE ROTARY CELEBRATION

President Frank Perez welcomed Rotarians and special guests to the final meeting of his presidential year. He shared the many successes of the club during this unusual year with many challenges:

Donated over 500 coats
Distributed dictionaries and thesauri
Was one of the district leaders in giving to the Rotary Foundation
Awarded five scholarships to high school seniors

But those items happen in a typical year at our club. In addition to dealing with the uncertainties and ever changing needs due to the pandemic, the club also:

Established a new Golf Outing fundraiser that exceeded all first year goals
Started planning for our 50th Anniversary year including partnering with the Centerville-Washington Park District for our most ambitious project to move the Rotary memorial and establish a pollinator garden.

Frank thanked everyone for the great efforts of every member of the club to keep the club moving forward in meaningful ways.

DG Greg Birkemeyer thanked members of our club for our contributions over the past year and congratulated Frank Perez on his leadership. He also recognized the involvement of many of our members in work at the district level.

DGE Carol Hughes gave warm greetings to the club, noting she knows many of our members already and said she looks forward to working with us during the upcoming year.

Ron Hollenbeck and Harvey Smith then presented the newest Paul Harris Fellows:

First Paul Harris

Wayne Davis & Jen Gibbs

Paul Harris +1

Elda Gotos-Gay, Bob Fry

Paul Harris +2

Frank Perez

Paul Harris +3

Arnie Biondo, Brian Hayes, Judy Budi, Mike Wier

Paul Harris +4

Arnie Biondo

Paul Harris +7

Don Stewart, Jim Harris

Paul Harris +8

Boyd Preston

Having reached PH+8 and now working on:

Major Donor Level 1

Dick Hoback

Ron Hollenbeck

Major Donor Level 2

Lee Hieronymus, Harvey Smith

Frank Perez was then recognized for his outstanding leadership throughout this unusual year with the presentation of a Paul Harris +3.

Frank Scott then asked Ron Hollenbeck to step forward for a special recognition from the District. He noted Ron has gone above and beyond, calling him Mr. Time, Talent & Treasure for his leadership to bring in the District's largest Rotary grant ever - $300,000 for water pumps in Malawi. For his efforts and leadership, Ron was presented with a Major Donor Level 2 which included a crystal and pins. Thank you, Ron!

President Frank then presented the annual recognition awards:

Service Above Self - Carol Kennard

For her assistance with hybrid meetings and keeping the club informed through the newsletter.

Service Above Self - Chuck King

For setting up the hybrid meeting electronics each week and troubleshooting as we learned the new skill of Zoom and hybrid meetings.

Rotarian of the Year - Brad Huffman

For his leadership to establish a new fundraising Golf Outing which was a sellout, very well organized, and exceeded our fundraising goals. Brad's leadership made a big difference in this unusual year!

Frank then passed the ceremonial baton to incoming president, Brian Hayes, and PDG Harvey Smith administered the Oath of Office.

Newly elected President Brian Hayes then recognized Frank for his outstanding leadership during this unprecedented year and presented him with a Star of Excellence award.