The Lima Rotary Club welcomes new leadership.
We said goodbye to President Russ and welcomed President Craig at the annual Changing of the Guard. Russ told us that the past year has been a good one with interesting programs; hosting the District 6600 4-Way Test Speech competition; welcoming the MESA bike riders to Lima for a night; donating five loads of medical equipment to MESA; the construction of the Rotary mini pavilion at Safety City, and the induction of 14 new members. Russ presented a New Member of the Year certificate to Peter Flores for his good attendance and service to the club. Outgoing Lima Rotary Club board members Aaron McLaurine and Richard Warren, and Lima Rotary Foundation board members Julie Klingler and John Payne were thanked for their service. John was also welcomed back to the Foundation board for another term, and he is being joined by Jeff Unterbrink and Jessica Trinko. Incoming Lima Rotary board members Troy Elwer, Carol Buettner and Josh Unterbrink were also welcomed.
The recipients of the annual service awards were:
Rex Perry Club Service Award - David Runk, John Rudolph Community Service Award - Michael Sarno, Harold Goodnight International Service Award - David Frost, Peter Hulsken Youth Service Award - Aaron McLaurine, Henry Wemmer Vocational Service Award - Russ Decker. Congratulations! The program ended with a hilarious roast of President Russ by Troy Elwer, whose said his jokes are so corny they should be entered in the fair's crop competition and they qualify for USDA subsidies. But on a serious note, "While we've had some fun today, let's remember what makes Russ special: he's community-minded. He's generous. He's dependable. He's passionate. He's loyal. All kidding aside, thank you for everything you've done for the community and for Rotary."
We also give a big thank you to Mary Elmquist-Lane for doing an outstanding job organizing the Changing of the Guard. We appreciate all the time and effort you put into this every yeaer!
