Paul Harris Awards Banquet

The Rotary Club of Dundas Valley Sunrise celebrated its annual Paul Harris Awards banquet at Copetown Woods Golf Course. Six individuals were honoured as Paul Harris Fellows. A PHF can be awarded whenever a $1000 contribution is made to The Rotary Foundation. Joe Guedes, this year’s president of the Rotary club received his award for reaching that threshold. Club members, Carl Fraser and Ernie Romain were both honoured as multiple Paul Harris Fellows for their continued support of The Rotary Foundation.

TRF is the engine that helps finance many of the service projects Rotary clubs perform in local and international communities throughout the world. This past year the Dundas Valley Sunrise club and its members contributed $15 000 to TRF and another $3000 towards Rotary International’s number one goal of the worldwide eradication of polio.

The DVSRC also selected a number of individuals for Paul Harris recognition for the work they do in the community. One such individual is Donna Wignall a retired special education teacher from Dundas Central School. Donna is a recipient of the Agnes Earnshaw award for teaching excellence, and a school environmentalist who has a stone plaque in the playground at the school honouring her work. She was a driving force with Friends of Dundas Library helping them raise over $28 000 from the annual book sale. She is a 27 year volunteer for the Cancer Society, a leader at the Dundas Granite Curling Club, a valued volunteer at St. Marks United Church and a community volunteer recognized by Dundas Community Services.

Another individual honoured by the club is Russ Powers. Russ is a chartered member of the DVSRC and was presented with a Paul Harris Award for his many years of service to the community as an elected representative on Dundas and Regional councils, Hamilton City council and Member of Federal Parliament. As well, Russ tirelessly cleared the way through city channels so that the club could built the Rotary Rink in the Dundas Driving Park and offer the annual Victoria Day fireworks there. 

The third individual of a PHA is Claire Harkness, who in her thank you speech said she, “Thought only old people got this award.” Claire was the clubs first Rotary Youth Exchange outbound student and took a year off her studies at Highland Secondary School to travel and live with host families in Australia, all paid for by Rotary International and the club. Her regular monthly reports were so detailed, well written and peppered with interesting photographs that club members anxiously waited to receive them. While in Australia Claire revised her career plans and now intends to become a nurse. She is back at Highland completing her high school diploma.

Since the Dundas Valley Sunrise Rotary Club’s charter in 2000, the club and its members have contributed over $130 000 to The Rotary Foundation and named 34 community members and 35 club members as Paul Harris Fellows.