The Cranbrook Sunrise Rotary Club bestowed 14 Paul Harris Fellowship Awards on club members and benefactors June 19 (pictured above) during their annual general meeting at the Cranbrook Golf Course.

And as it was the AGM, the club also handed out year-end awards and installed its 2012/2013 executive, with Daryl Richardson becoming president and Frank Vanden Broek moving over to past president, while Mark Pinnell becomes president-elect. Mike Burnham remains club administration/treasurer and Ursula Brigl is secretary.

Club member and former district governor Allan Davis presented the unusually large number of Paul Harris Fellowships, which he explained to the packed house.

“In Rotary, we are governed by the Four Way Test and the strong motivation to ‘Do Good in the World.’ Thus we both donate money to our Foundation in order to accomplish those things and honour people in our lives and our community who also accomplish, or help us to accomplish those ideals, through what they do in their everyday lives. This evening, we have the wonderful opportunity to honour many people for displaying those characteristics – of philanthropy and service to the world,” he began.

“The Foundation awards the recognition of Paul Harris Fellow for donations – starting at the $1,000 level and increasing in $1,000 increments and for recognition of service. The pin and stones are symbolic – the service and donations are significant and real,” he explained.

Davis presented Bob Bjorn (plus 2), Harley Lee (plus two) and Warren Trimble (plus one) with their awards before proceeding with the second half of the presentation.

“When a Rotarian makes a cash donation to The Rotary Foundation, they accrue recognition points – which can be used to honour someone (or an organization) for service which fits the aims and goals of Rotary – namely serving the needs of humanity. Tonight we are especially pleased that several of our members have chosen to bestow such recognition on friends and family,” Davis stated.

Rotarians Darryl Bishop, Bob Bjorn, Ursula Brigl, Carl Casey, Bill Gibbon, Harley Lee and past members Liz Conner and Carrie Schafer selected the following as benefactors for a Paul Harris Fellowship “in honour and recognition of their outstanding service to humanity in our community and beyond,” Davis said.

Janet Bishop, Phyllis Bjorn, Albert Brigl, Mark Casey, Melanie McFarlane, Clint Conner, Shirley Gibbon, Gary Toyota, Ian Cobb, Dorial Davis (a PHF plus 2) and Pat Van Hesteren.

Sunrise Rotary also handed out year-end awards, for attendance, Service Above Self

and for ‘Screw Up of the Year,’ which was humbly received by club member Gerry Warner for a stationary bike handle incident while training for the recently completed Pedaling for Polio, which Warner, Frank Vanden Broek, Daryl Richardson, Pat Van Hesteren, Brent Jossy and Robyn Vanden Broek completed.

The group cycled from Cranbrook to Tri-Cities, Washington to attend the district conference and raise funds

for Rotary’s ongoing fight against polio. In total they raised more than $8,000 during the ride.

Then it was time to hand out Rotarian of the Year, a task handled by last year’s winner and outgoing president Vanden Broek, who presented Daryl Richardson with the 2012 honour.

“It’s been a fantastic year. As president of the club you begin to understand how much time and energy people give to everything we do. He was a great help,” Vanden Broek said of Richardson. “It’s a truly amazing group of people.”

Davis was then back to the podium to install the club’s newest executive officers, led by incoming president Richardson, who presented Vanden Broek with a plaque recognizing his service last year.

“It was his inspiration and leadership that took many of us, including myself, through the year,” Richardson said of the past-president.

“Standing up here before you is the proudest moment of my Rotary experience,” he said.

The upcoming year promises to be as good, Richardson said, promising more of the club’s “have fun – get it done” motif.

“We’re here to have fun and do what we like to do – improve the community and the world around us,” he said, pointing out Rotary International’s theme for the year is “Peace through service. To me it truly makes sense.”

Richardson said Cranbrook has a long and proud history with Rotary, with the Cranbrook Rotary Club in its 90^th year and Sunrise Rotary entering its 16^th year.

Finding new members to help continue the good work remains an ongoing part of doing Rotary business he said, encouraging the members to continue seeking new people to introduce to Rotary.

“Tuesday is my best day of business,” he said, noting he gets a burst of energy from the breakfast meetings each week and he rides that momentum through the day.

The following are serving as directors for Sunrise Rotary for 2012/13: Dennis Parsons, Brent Jossy, Lorinda Nelson, Colleen Bermel, Mark Pinnell, Janice Sommerfeld, Helen Boon, Donna Kraus Haggerman and Darryl Bishop.

For more on Pedaling for Polio see: https://www.e-know.ca/politics/cranbrook/pushing-the-envelope-and-pedaling-for-a-cause/

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