Category Archives: Rotarian Spotlight

Alone Doesn’t Have To Mean Lonely

March 25, 2020 / admin / Rotarian Spotlight

During a crisis like the Coronavirus COVID-19, the concept of “social distancing” can cause just as many concerns as it does benefits. For those who live alone or perhaps suffer from other conditions, isolation can be more than a hardship, but also dangerous. Each of us are impacted differently…while it’s important that we stay up-to-date with […]

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Vanessa Ervin (Rotary Club of Jacksonville, NC-USA)

October 23, 2017 / admin / Rotarian Spotlight

Past District Governor Vanessa Ervin joined Rotary to make a difference in her local community in eastern North Carolina, and at the time she believed that alone would be impactful. Twenty-five years later, she recognizes the global community she’s part of has impacted her even more than she ever imagined. For thirteen years, Ervin participated […]

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Debbie Vance (Rotary Club of Richmond, British Columbia-Canada)

April 21, 2017 / admin / Rotarian Spotlight

Lifestyle: the habits, attitudes, moral standards, etc. that together constitute the mode of living of an individual Well that sounds about right for Debbie Vance who says, “Rotary is my lifestyle…it’s how I live.” After her kids were grown, Debbie realized she missed the “family volunteering” concept they had started. So when a co-worker casually […]

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Nancy Barbee (Rotary Club of Maysville, NC-USA)

March 10, 2017 / admin / Rotarian Spotlight

The old adage of “don’t miss a meeting or else you’ll be in charge next time…” obviously hasn’t sunk in yet with PDG Nancy Barbee. Since joining the Rotary Club of Maysville in 2000, she has served in nearly every leadership position, including President…FOUR times! But it was her first stint as President (2002-03) that […]

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Walter Hughes (Rotary Club of Rocky Mount, VA-USA)

February 12, 2017 / admin / Rotarian Spotlight

Rotary means different things to different people. For some, it means friendship and fellowship with like-minded people. For others, it means an opportunity to develop leadership and business skills. For some, it’s a way to solve a problem in a local community. For Walter Hughes, Jr., Rotary seems to be the vehicle by which he […]

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Paul Hoffman (Rotary Club of Brevard, NC-USA)

February 5, 2017 / admin / Rotarian Spotlight

One doesn’t have to be a long-term member of Rotary to earn the nickname “Rotary Geek.” Some people see the big picture must faster than others. One such person is Paul Hoffman, who has been a Rotarian for less than four years. In his “real job,” Paul is an executive with the Girl Scouts in […]

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Sue Poss (Rotary E-Club of the Carolinas, SC-USA)

January 29, 2017 / admin / Rotarian Spotlight

As a young newspaper reporter, Sue Poss often covered Rotary meetings to write stories about speakers or special events. At that time, she was usually the only woman in the room, since prior to 1986 Rotary didn’t allow women to join the organization. Nevertheless, she walked away impressed. And soon after a Supreme Court decision […]

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Chris Jones (Rotary Club of Lake Norman-Huntersville, NC-USA)

January 22, 2017 / admin / Rotarian Spotlight

Sometimes the best Rotarians grow out of someone who never even knew what Rotary was. That might be the case with Past District Governor Chris Jones, who was initially invited to learn more about a new Rotary Club that was forming near where he worked and lived in Catonsville, MD (District 7620). Chris readily admits […]

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John Nanni (Rotary Club of Middletown-Odessa, DE-USA)

January 15, 2017 / admin / Rotarian Spotlight

How many of us ever consider inviting our guest speakers to join our Rotary Club (or better yet, follow up on the consideration)? Luckily, a member of the Rotary Club of Hamilton Township (NJ-USA) did just that six years ago. John Nanni contracted polio as an infant and was paralyzed from the neck down for […]

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Melanie Matteson (Rotary Club of Four Seasons-Hendersonville, NC-USA)

January 8, 2017 / admin / Rotarian Spotlight

You can find future Rotarians everywhere…in your church, your office, your neighborhood, non-profits…but sometimes the best Rotarians come from the most unlikely places, like other service clubs. Not because we are “better than them,” but actually because we are a lot like them! Most people who join service organizations do so because they have a […]

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