Greenfield Rotary: celebrating a century of service in 2022!
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Rotary supporters honored at 2022 Appreciation Dinner; Zint named PH Fellow
Buyers of of limited-edition prints and other supporters of Greenfield Rotary Club were honored at the club’s annual appreciation dinner October 26, 2022 at Buckeye Hills Country Club.
Club President Wes Surritt welcomed members and guests to the annual event, which featured a delicious meal of prime rib, chicken or a vegetarian option. The club president expressed gratitude for the excellent community support shown by the print buyers at the 2022 Greene Countrie Towne Festival and introduced a number of special guests, including Assistant District Governor Beth Huber of the Wilmington Rotary Club; Greene Countrie Towne Festival Second Queen’s Attendant Khadijah Coleman, Bonnie Baldridge, who is involved with the Greene Countrie Towne Festival Queen Pageant, artist Tammy Wells, who has created the limited edition prints sold at the festival since 2003, and John and Paula Miller of the Greenfield Antique Tractor Club. Unable to attend but receiving praise for their contributions to Rotary were auctioneers Gary and Mandy Binegar, Matt and Ellen Binegar and Rod Halterman, and the Greenfield Antique Car Club. A highlight of the evening was the announcement of a new Paul Harris Fellow honored for service to the club and the community. The honoree for 2022 is Eric Zint, a local pharmacist who has done much work behind the scenes even though he is rarely able to attend Rotary meetings because of regulations that require him to be present at the pharmacy during regular meeting times. Eric, who joined the club in 2006, expressed surprise and thanks for the recognition and called himself “a child of Rotary” while noting that even as a child he witnessed many Rotary activities because his father was a member of the club.The announcement was made by Pat Hays, a longtime Rotarian who said the list of local Paul Harris Fellows begins with George M. Waddell, Greenfield’s first and only District Governor, and reads like a “Who’s Who” of community boosters. Hays explained that the Paul Harris Fellowship is named in honor of Rotary’s founder, who with three other businessmen launched the very first Rotary club in Chicago in 1905. The club sends $1,000 to Rotary International for each Paul Harris Fellowship it awards, and the money is used to help people around the world as part of the international organization’s outreach. It appears that the club has now sponsored 51 Paul Harris Fellows since it made George M. Waddell the club’s first recipient in 1985. Beth Huber, Assistant District Governor from Wilmington, congratulated the Greenfield club on its rich history of community involvement and partnership with Rotary International over the past 100 years and wished the club well as it enters its second century as a service organization. Huber shared some thoughts about the changes and challenges many Rotary clubs are facing and offered the district’s assistance with any strategic planning the Greenfield club may want to pursue as it looks to the future. Huber noted that the District 6670 Four Way Speaking Contest is scheduled March 26, 2023 at Wright State University and encouraged the club to put on a local contest prior to that date so that the local winner can advance and compete for prize money. Entertainment for the evening was provided by the McClain High School Show Choir under the direction of Miss Loretta Flora. The evening concluded with a drawing for table arrangements. In closing, President Surritt thanked everyone who attended and noted that, whether they are Rotarians or not, they deserve thanks for their efforts on behalf of the Greenfield community. Surritt expressed his gratitude to Angela Shepherd for coordinating details for the festive dinner and program. Greenfield Rotary ending sponsorship
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