On June 17, at the Salem Civic Center, the Rotary Club of Salem awarded 47 deserving individuals Paul Harris Fellows. Club President Elect Tom Bowers read the narratives of each individual, while Club President Jeff Howard presented the certificates. President Nominee Jane Johnson had the honor of bestowing the special pins.
The Paul Harris recognition held once a year at the end of the Rotary year is named for Paul Harris, who founded Rotary with three business colleagues in Chicago in 1905. The Paul Harris Fellow Foundation was established in his honor in 1957 to express appreciation for a contribution of $1,000 to the humanitarian and educational programs of the Rotary Foundation.
The funds provide educational opportunities of food, potable water, health care, immunizations and shelter for millions of people. These activities are funded, implemented and managed by Rotarians and Rotary clubs around the globe. Rotarians also may designate a Paul Harris Fellow to recognize another person whose life demonstrates a shared purpose with objectives and mission of the Rotary Foundation to build world understanding and peace. The Paul Harris Fellow recognition acknowledges individuals who contribute, or who have contributions made in their name, of $1,000 to The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International, the PolioPlus campaign, or approved Foundation grants.
Some of this year’s recipients are Rotarians who have been named Paul Harris Fellows by other Rotarians. Some Rotarians who were close to $1,000 dollar mark in personal giving, or who were given points by the Club’s Paul Harris Committee to reach the $1,000 mark. Some recipients are spouses of Rotarians and others are designated a Fellow as they epitomize the “Service Above Self” motto. Other recipients are non-Rotarians; people in our community who serve our community in so many ways or they are named by individual Rotarians or by the Club for their service to the community.
2020 Salem Police Officer of the Year David Goodman received a Paul Harris Fellow from the Rotary Club of Salem on June 17 at the Salem Civic Center for the many ways he has creatively and professionally handled himself during the pandemic and times of uncertainty. He joined the Salem Police Department in 2016 and while traveling through Roanoke with one of his daughters, he saw a man lying on the side of the road suffering from a gunshot wound. Goodman stopped to assist the man and to also calm and comfort the children who had gathered near the scene. Officer Goodman says, “God places us in different places at different times for a variety of reasons.” He enjoys working to be a part of the solution to every situation he is faced with in his duties. Police Chief Mike Crawley heralds him for having a ‘guardian’ mindset.
- Submitted by Ruth Parsons, Adult Care Center of Roanoke Valley Administer
