When Rotary Club of Oliver Members met last week at the Air Cadet 232 Squadron Hangar, the focus of their weekly gathering was to honour two individuals who have made major contributions to the community.

Rotarians held their Paul Harris Fellow Recognition ceremony. The room was packed as Past President Brian Goy read out the qualifications and some background surrounding this presitgious award.

The background:  Rotary is a 1.2 million-member organization and started with the vision of one man, Paul P. Harris. The Chicago attorney formed one of the world’s first service organizations, the Rotary Club of Chicago, on February 23, 1905 as a place where professionals with diverse backgrounds could exchange ideas and form meaningful, lifelong friendships. Rotary’s name came from the group’s early practice of rotating meetings among the offices of each member.

The qualifications:  When you give $1,000 or more to the Annual Fund, PolioPlus, or an approved Foundation grant, you are honoured as a Paul Harris Fellow.

Last week, the Rotary Club of Oliver honoured Janet Shaw and Ron Johnson.

Rotarian Ernie Dumais introduced Shaw, who spent many years as President with the Desert Valley Hospice Society.

Rotary member Ron Worth introduced Johnson, who has spent 26 years with the Air Cadets, among his many other contributions to the community.

Appearing in both photos is Rotary Club of Oliver president Jen Roussel.

Both Janet and Ron are very deserving of their Paul Harris Fellow awards.

Please offer your congratulations to both the next time you see them.

-Dale Cory