Rotary Club presents grants and awards, welcomes new members

Special to the Jefferson Herald

The Rotary Club of Jefferson held an evening of celebration May 2, awarding community grants, honoring outstanding service, and recognizing the charitable milestone of a member. The club also welcomed eight new members, some of whom are inaugural members of a new evening satellite club.

Past club president and 2022 auction chair Tori Riley presented a total of $9,690 in grants to eight community organizations. The grants represent a portion of the proceeds from the 2022 Charity Dinner and Auction.

Grants were awarded to Greene County Extension & Outreach for summer day camp expenses, $500; Greene County Youth Athletic Association for registration fees for youngsters in need, $1,500; Jefferson Parks & Recreation Department to replace lifesaving equipment at the municipal pool, $769; Jefferson Public Library for a collection of materials relating to special needs, neurodivergence and dementia, $600; Our Community Health Foundation for Dolly Parton Imagination Library, $2,000; Rippey Public Library for Little Blessing Boxes, $750; Tower View Team for The Swan rooftop art, $1,500; and Webb House for an updated security system, $2,321.

Another $6,000 in auction proceeds will be awarded as scholarships to Greene County graduating seniors later this month, and funds have been set aside for an upcoming major project yet to be determined. Auction proceeds also cover the club’s annual support of The Rotary Foundation (Rotary International) and Polio Plus.

The 2023 Charity Dinner and Auction will be held Friday, Nov. 17, at the Greene Room at Wild Rose Casino in Jefferson.

President Susan Laehn presented the 2022 club awards. The Professional of the Year Award is presented to a person who presents professional excellence in his or her workplace and volunteers or gives back to the community via his or her profession. The recipient need not be a Rotarian.

The Rotary 2022 Professional of the Year Award was presented to Greene County attorney Thomas Laehn, a Rotarian. Laehn, now in his fifth year as county attorney, not only handles prosecutorial duties and serves as legal counsel for the county supervisors, but is also very involved with local law enforcement. He is on-call to officers and deputies round the clock to assure they follow procedures and have information to best aid successful prosecution of crimes. During his tenure in office, crime has decreased, and the number of repeat offenders has also decreased.

The Avenues of Service/Rotarian of the Year Award is presented to a Rotarian who serves not only the club, but also the community through Rotary’s Seven Areas of Focus.

The 2022 Avenues of Service Award was presented to Tori Riley. She has volunteered and assumed leadership roles in a variety of community organizations prior to and since joining Rotary. She has chaired several Relays for Life, is a past president of the Greene County Community Foundation board, and is currently a member of the Community Players board, the RSVP+ Volunteer Program advisory council, and the Friends of the Library board.

The club welcomed as new members Victoria Anderson, Wes Anderson, Erin Ballou, Kristin Lang, Amy Milligan, Mike Richards, Kyle Staudacher and Nikki Uebel. Members can now attend bi-monthly evening meetings rather than the traditional noon weekly meetings. “We’re glad to have that option and to see some of our new members taking advantage of the satellite group,” president Laehn said. “It lets people tap into the power of Rotary and work with others who put ‘Service Above Self’ even if they can’t attend a noon meeting.”

Rick Morain received Paul Harris Fellow recognition. The recognition acknowledges individuals who contribute $1,000, or who have contributions made in their name, to The Rotary Foundation.

Guest speaker was Dave Cook, a member of the Boone Rotary Club, Rotary District 6000 membership chair, and District Governor nominee. Past District Governor Steve Dakin, also of Boone, attended as well.