Long-time Clinton-Sampson Rotary member Billy Peterson was honored last week for his continued dedication and support of the Rotary Foundation and its many national and international humanitarian causes, including the eradication of polio and work toward Alzheimer’s Research.
During the club’s Monday meeting, Peterson, a local accountant, was honored as a Paul Harris Major Donor, a prestigious honor given to a select few who contribute $1,000 a year to the Rotary Foundation.
Peterson, who has been in the Rotary’s Paul Harris Society for a number of years, is now positioned among the major donors who have given $10,000 or more to the Foundation and its causes.
The Paul Harris honors are named after Harris who founded Rotary International in 1905.
“Through your contributions, great things are accomplished,” noted Pam High, a member of the Clinton Rotary, its Foundation chair and district Paul Harris Society coordinator, in presenting the award to Peterson.
“It (the contributions) could provide educational opportunities, food for the poor, potable water in a village in Africa or India, health care, shelter, schools and books for thousands of children. It can buy cows to supply milk to an entire village or supply sewing machines to widows so they may become self sufficient. Your club will be able to fulfill their Rotary dreams in your own community. The need is endless and the generosity of Rotarians like you never stops.”
High said it was customary for the Foundation to recognize contributions to the Foundation with a Paul Harris pin and crystal, both of which she presented to Peterson as his fellow Rotarians cheered for him around the Ribeyes meeting room.
“The symbolism in this recognition is to say thank you for making a difference in your club and community and in the lives of less fortunate people in the world. By accepting this pin you are joining a prestigious group of individuals — Mother Theresa, Prince Charles Nelson Mandela and Pope John Paul II,” High said before pinning Peterson and presenting the crystal to him.
A humble Peterson thanked the group and noted that giving to Rotary was easy because of its many contributions in the community and around the world. “I just give a little very month,” he attested. “You don’t even miss it.”
The Rotary Foundation is one of the largest and most important programs of Rotary, High said. “Without the Foundation,” she told club members, Rotary could not continue its many humanitarian programs and its efforts to promote world understanding and peace.
“Mr. Billy,” High attested, “you have set an example for many by your contributions to your club.”