Boulder Valley Rotary Club - Awards for 2007-2008 Rotary Year

The following awards and recognition were announced at the annual installation banquet on June 21, 2008.

Service above Self Award - This is awarded for exceptional service by a Rotary member in any endeavor, not necessarily in a Rotary function. The recipients of this award for the 2007-2008 Rotary year are:

India Hart Wood
In addition to her Rotary work, India has been very active in the non-profit Intercambio de Comunidades - an organization that teaches English as a second language to adults and whose mission is to build respectful communities and broaden opportunities for immigrants through language education, cultural exchange and friendship. She recently organized the special evening meeting with Latino Entrepreneurs when the club hosted small business entrepreneurs who are currently taking business English classes with Intercambio de Communidades.

India has also been involved with the Association for Community Living – an organization whose mission is to promote the full participation in community life of people with mental retardation and other developmental disabilities.

She has also been active in the Yamagata Exchange Program. She was one of our club’s delegates to Yamagata several years ago and last year organized the club’s hosting of the Yamagata delegation that came to Boulder to celebrate the sister city relationship with the planting of cherry (or Sakura in Japanese) trees.

Paul Orzech
Paul began his commitment to community involvement very early in his professional career. In the 1980, he participated in the Big Brothers Big Sisters of America program in Illinois. Paul served as a mentor and a friend to young men who needed guidance and support.

Paul continued his community involvement when he joined Rotary in Colorado in 1987. Paul has remained active with the service organization over the past two decades, hosting a total of 10 youth exchange students. Paul and Cindi began hosting exchange students in 1997 and most recently hosted our club’s exchange student for this year – Alice from Brazil.

Paul has also served as the head of the Boulder Rotary College Scholarship Fund committee for over seven years. Paul organizes an annual football contest at work to raise additional money for the College Scholarship Fund, and in the past seven years he has raised approximately $30,000. Additional charities supported by the football contest include Freedom Service Dogs and The Medicine Horse Program.

Paul is also involved in the Innovation Quotient Awards and Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year Awards that recognize entrepreneurship and local leadership.

In addition, Paul is very active at his church, the Sacred Heart of Mary in Boulder, frequently serving as the Eucharist reader and Liturgical minister.

For these and other achievements Paul was recently honored by the Colorado Society of CPAs as a CPA Making a Difference.

Award of Excellence - This is awarded to club members for generous contributions and support for the ideals of Rotary International. The recipient of this award for the 2007-2008 Rotary year is:

James S. Beckley

Rotarian of the Year Award - This is awarded for exceptional service by a Rotary member to the Rotary Club of Boulder Valley. The recipients of this award for the 2007-2008 Rotary year are:

Geoffrey C. Wheeler

Williams H. Farrow

Pacesetter Award - This award seeks to recognize the Rotarian who joined the club within the past Rotary year and has "Hit the Ground Running" in terms of interest, activity and contribution to club projects and goals. The recipients of this award for the 2007-2008 Rotary year are:

Tim Conarro

Tom DeBie