What a wonderful President's Night Event we had last night at Ristorante Molise! We thank our outgoing President Dianne Webster for her year of service and welcome our new President Thomas Farrell! We also recognized 5 Paul Harris Fellows.
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Congratulations to:
Timothy J. Cameron
Cheryl Keim
Matt Sherrill
Cathy Toomey
Sandford K. (Sandy) Carlisle
Thank you to everyone who attended and for everyone who supports the work of the club in Amesbury and beyond.
What is a Paul Harris Fellow Recognition?
This evening our club is also recognizing new Paul Harris Fellows. The recipients named as Paul Harris Fellows are individuals that we believe embody the ideals of Rotary; they live our motto “Service Above Self” every day in their lives and careers. By naming them a Paul Harris Fellow we are saying, thank you for all they do. We recognize your energy and effort to make a difference in Amesbury and our community. Thank you again.
The idea of recognizing a Rotarian and/or community member who had a $1,000 contributed in their name or who had personally contributed $1,000 occurred in 1957. That year two Rotarians were recognized as Paul Harris Fellows. Allison G. Brush was a member of the Rotary Club of Laurel, Mississippi and was named a Paul Harris Fellow; he served as an RI Director from 1937-38. Rufus Chapin, also known as “Rough-House,” one of Paul Harris’ closest friends was also recognized in 1957. Chapin joined the Rotary Club of Chicago in 1905 when the club was just a few months old. He was a banker, who had a great sense of humor. He gave of his time and talents for many years without hesitation. In fact, he served treasurer for 33 years. Some things never change in Rotary! He died in 1947, so his Paul Harris Fellow recognition was given to him posthumously.
It took many years for the idea of a Paul Harris Fellow recognition to catch on. In 2006, The Rotary Foundation recognized 34 donors, one from each Rotary zone around the world, as the one millionth Paul Harris Fellow. With each additional contribution of $1,000.00 a member can become a Paul Harris +1, +2 and so on, all the way until they reach PHF +8. Once a person personally contributes $10,000 they achieve Major Donor status.
Members of the Amesbury Rotary Club have the opportunity to name fellow Rotarians, friends of Rotary, community members and/or family members as Paul Harris Fellows. Tonight, those named will join the ranks of over 100 men and women that have been named Paul Harris Fellows by the Amesbury Club and millions who have received this recognition around the world.
However, we need to keep one thing in mind, a Paul Harris Fellow recognition IS NOT just about the money, the certificates, the pins, or the banners; it’s about providing clean water to a village in Kenya, it’s about the children that will learn to read and write in the Philippines, and it’s about saving more than 100 million children in India who will not have to spend their lives as “crawlers” because they received two drops of Polio vaccine. A Paul Harris Fellow recognition IS about what Rotarians do with the money; they change people’s lives and make the world a better place. A Paul Harris Fellow is a person who is Making a Difference.