Greensburg, In. — For 18 consecutive years, the Greensburg Rotary Club presented its annual Community Paul Harris Fellow Award to worthy community volunteers who were nominated and selected by a committee. The award is named after the founder of Rotary, Paul Harris.
At the Greensburg Hampton Inn and Suites, that tradition continued on Monday, Dec. 3, 2018, as Greensburg Rotary Club #3437 in District #6580, presented the prestigious award to Rick and Mary Johnson of Lake Santee.
Nominations for the award must represent that of the Rotary 4-way test, which includes:
- First, is it the truth
- Second, is it fair to all concerned
- Third, will it bring goodwill and better friendship
- And Fourth, will it beneficial to all concerned
Falling under that criteria, Rick and Mary Johnson were nominated to receive the award for their long standing dedication to the Decatur County area.
In making the presentation, Rotarians Larry and Bev Moore honored the Johnson’s with Paul Harris Fellow pins and certificates.
“Rick and Mary are admired for their commitment, enthusiasm and sense of fair play,” Larry Moore read from the nomination letter. “They are constantly willing to give of their time, treasures and talents. They are truthful, honest in all of their dealings with others. They are all about the betterment of the community through their collaborative efforts with various organizations. They believe in building strong relationships and partnerships to build a viable community and they have always exemplified fair and honorable characteristics in all their efforts. It is with appreciation for their leadership, hard work and dedication that I take great honor in nominating Rick and Mary Johnson for the Community Paul Harris Fellow Award.”
Rick has been active in the community as a volunteer for the Decatur County Community Foundation, Board member of the Decatur County Family YMCA, where he served as President of the Board, chair for the annual campaign for three years and on numerous committees. He is an active member of the Greensburg Optimist Club and board member for the Speranza House. He also volunteers for the Lake Santee and Clarksburg Volunteer Fire Department and takes an active role in their fund raising efforts. Also, Rick volunteers for Emergency Management and CERT in Decatur County and he constantly volunteers for the Lake Santee Property Association.
Many times when Rick is volunteering for an event, his wife Mary is not far away. Mary is involved in the Lake Santee Women’s Club and past club president. She is a member of PEO and has served in numerous officer roles, serves as a volunteer for the Decatur County United Fund Strawberry Festival and also for the Decatur County Family YMCA including the Tree City Rolling Bike Tour and the Tree City Run. Mary also assists with fundraisers for the Lake Santee and Clarksburg Volunteer Fire Departments.
“These two winners tonight truly represent the motto of Rotary International, which is ‘Service Above Self’,” Larry Moore said.
As a result of the presentation of the Community Paul Harris Fellow Award, the local Greensburg Rotary Club will make a $1,000 contribution in each of their names to Rotary International Foundation. The money will be used to continue the fight to end Polio worldwide.
With this award presentation on Monday, the Johnson’s join 32 other citizens in Decatur County who have received the award from the Greensburg Rotary Club, bringing the total contributed through this effort alone to $34,000 to the Rotary Foundation.
The Greensburg Rotary Club was established in 1920 and will be holding its 100th year anniversary celebration in 2020. The Club, comprising of 36 professional men and women, meets at 12 p.m. on Monday’s in Classroom D at Decatur County Memorial Hospital.
For membership information, contact Membership Chair Tami Wenning at the Decatur County Community Foundation or any Rotary member. You may also visit the club’s website here.
Submitted
