10 Paul Harris Fellowships Awarded to Community Members During Covid-19
Bluewater Health’s Dr. Michel Haddad is among ten local recipients of Rotary’s highest honour, A Paul Harris Fellowship. Named after Rotary’s
founder, the awards are granted by local club members and honour the immense contributions individuals have made in 2020. This year’s award winners have all have one thing in a common: a determination to help the wider community through the COVID challenge.
As the Chief of Staff at Bluewater Health and also an intensivist, Dr. Haddad has been part of the leadership guiding the treatment of patients with COVID-19, and also preventing the spread within the hospital and the wider community. He exemplifies Rotary’s vision of “a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change.” Through his Twitter account, Dr. Haddad has been educating the public about COVID-19, strategies to protect oneself, and details on the latest research and evidence. He is widely recognized as a trusted source of information for the community on this topic. An early, strong advocate of masking, he encouraged local councillors to implement the mandatory mask bylaw we have today.
“I feel quite honoured and surprised actually to have received this recognition,” said Dr. Haddad when he heard the news from Rotary. “I truly didn’t expect it as I feel that I was just trying to fulfill my mandate to the best of my abilities as a hospital medical leader during these difficult times to ensure patient and staff safety and ensure best care to all of our patients while attempting to inform the community about what we can all do collectively to concur this pandemic.”
founder, the awards are granted by local club members and honour the immense contributions individuals have made in 2020. This year’s award winners have all have one thing in a common: a determination to help the wider community through the COVID challenge.
As the Chief of Staff at Bluewater Health and also an intensivist, Dr. Haddad has been part of the leadership guiding the treatment of patients with COVID-19, and also preventing the spread within the hospital and the wider community. He exemplifies Rotary’s vision of “a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change.” Through his Twitter account, Dr. Haddad has been educating the public about COVID-19, strategies to protect oneself, and details on the latest research and evidence. He is widely recognized as a trusted source of information for the community on this topic. An early, strong advocate of masking, he encouraged local councillors to implement the mandatory mask bylaw we have today.
“I feel quite honoured and surprised actually to have received this recognition,” said Dr. Haddad when he heard the news from Rotary. “I truly didn’t expect it as I feel that I was just trying to fulfill my mandate to the best of my abilities as a hospital medical leader during these difficult times to ensure patient and staff safety and ensure best care to all of our patients while attempting to inform the community about what we can all do collectively to concur this pandemic.”
Other recipients have been named this year.
Sharon LaPier, of LaPier’s Flowers and Gifts (Corunna), is being recognized for her “Service Above Self” in spear-heading a Mask-Making Team who have made and distributed over 3000 free masks to children and adults in our community during the Covid-19 pandemic. The team has given masks to school children, nursing homes, Aamjiwnaang and Kettle and Stony Point First Nations, and The Inn of the Good Shepherd for emergency use. Sharon's generosity continues as the team is still providing masks to those in need.
Mike Germain, of Service Master (Sarnia), is being recognized for his generosity in supporting the Rotary Club of Sarnia’s annual pancake breakfast and work with the Inn of the Good Shepherd. Mike has donated his services and staff from Service Master on a consistent basis to assist Rotarians with their fundraising efforts and service projects.
Zoya Shetty is being recognized for her commitment to giving back to our community. For several years she has donated exclusive Indian dining experiences to the St. Joseph’s Hospice Gala and the Rotary Club of Sarnia, as fundraisers. Zoya Shetty has raised thousands of dollars to support these initiatives in Sarnia during 2020.
Marianne Hyatt is being recognized for her talents as the garden planner, leader of volunteers, and most dedicated gardener of the vegetable garden at Rotary. Marianne works part time at the West Lambton Community Health Centre. The harvest from the garden is distributed to the Inn of the Good Shepherd and other food banks in Sarnia and Forest, as well as to clients at the Health Centre. The garden serves as a source of therapy for the volunteers.
Joan Spalding is being recognized for sharing her musical talents with Sarnia-Lambton during COVID-19. Joan is a singer/songwriter who plays many instruments including the guitar, double reed harmonica, banjo and mandolin, and also a three-time winner of the Canadian Open Singing Contest in Ontario. Since mid-March, she has performed daily online concerts to entertain those at home.
Melanie Rogers and Jenn Cooper are being recognized for exemplifying Service above Self. They organized two very successful drives for the Inn of the Good Shepherd during the pandemic – Drive By Food and Drive By Bottle. The food drive saw over 45 volunteers collect over 16,000 lbs of food over 4 days. The bottle drive raised an astonishing $27,000 (sorting, counting and bagging took 13 days and filled four Beer Store transport trucks).
Mike and Zack Fiddick are being recognized for their generous donations of meat to lunches at the Inn of the Good Shepherd for the past two years, serving approximately 80-90 meals on each occasion. The quality of the Fiddicks’ grassfed beef raised locally could not be matched, providing guests with the best possible meats.
About the PAUL HARRIS FELLOW
A Paul Harris Fellow recognition acknowledges individuals who have made a significant impact in their community, which the local Club acknowledges by making a US$1,000 contribution to the Rotary Foundation in their name. These contribution are spent on humanitarian efforts around the world. Paul Harris was the founder and organizer of the first Rotary Club in Chicago in 1905. He was founder of the Rotary idea, and the first president of the worldwide organization, Rotary International. Paul Harris died in 1947.
In 1957, the idea of Paul Harris Fellow (PHF) recognition was first proposed as a means to promote voluntary giving to the Rotary Foundation. The distinctive Paul Harris Fellow, lapel pin and certificate have become highly respected symbols of a substantial commitment to The Rotary Foundation by Rotarians, friends and honoured recipients around the world.
The Rotary Foundation is a non-profit corporation that supports the efforts of Rotary International to achieve world understanding and peace through international humanitarian, educational and cultural exchange programs - it is support solely by voluntary contribution Rotarians and friends of the Foundation who share its vision of a better world.
The Foundation was created in 1917 as an endowment fund for Rotary and has grown from an initial contribution of $26.50 us to more than US$1 billion. Polio Eradication has been a long term focus for the Foundation. Throughout the years Rotary has committed more than US$1.4 billion to global polio eradication. Rotary has received US$355 million in challenge grants from the Bill and Melinda Gates
Foundation.
In 1957, the idea of Paul Harris Fellow (PHF) recognition was first proposed as a means to promote voluntary giving to the Rotary Foundation. The distinctive Paul Harris Fellow, lapel pin and certificate have become highly respected symbols of a substantial commitment to The Rotary Foundation by Rotarians, friends and honoured recipients around the world.
The Rotary Foundation is a non-profit corporation that supports the efforts of Rotary International to achieve world understanding and peace through international humanitarian, educational and cultural exchange programs - it is support solely by voluntary contribution Rotarians and friends of the Foundation who share its vision of a better world.
The Foundation was created in 1917 as an endowment fund for Rotary and has grown from an initial contribution of $26.50 us to more than US$1 billion. Polio Eradication has been a long term focus for the Foundation. Throughout the years Rotary has committed more than US$1.4 billion to global polio eradication. Rotary has received US$355 million in challenge grants from the Bill and Melinda Gates
Foundation.