Robert Irving Among Honourees At Moncton Rotary’s 100th Anniversary
MONCTON – Robert K. Irving, Geneviève Lalonde, Connie Woodside and Danielle Dorris will be receiving a rare centennial honour on April 27, as four Rotary clubs from Moncton, St. Stephen, Sydney, N.S., and Houlton, ME, celebrate their 100th anniversaries.
The honorees will receive the “extremely rare” centennial Paul Harris Fellowship award, according to a press release announcing the event.
The Paul Harris Fellowship, named after the American lawyer who founded Rotary, is the highest honour awarded by the organization. It recognizes citizens whose contributions and achievements set new standards of excellence.
Robert K. Irving of Moncton is the co-CEO of J.D. Irving, Limited, and a community volunteer and philanthropist.
Geneviève Lalonde of Moncton is an Olympian in the 3,000 m steeplechase race who recently won gold at the Pan American Cross-Country Cup.
Connie Woodside of Fredericton is the president and CEO of Junior Achievement New Brunswick, an organization encouraging and promoting youth entrepreneurship, and a youth mentor.
Danielle Dorris of Moncton is Team Canada’s youngest Paralympic swimmer ever. The multi-award-winning athlete is also an 11-time Canadian record-breaker.
The centennial awards will be handed to recipients in a gala at the Delta Beausejour, co-presented by Deloitte Private, Medavie, Stewart McKelvey, UNI and BrainWorks.
Atlantic Lottery Corporation is also a sponsor, providing 50 young leaders with subsidized discounted tickets to the event.
The celebration is also supported by community partners – the Chamber of Commerce of Greater Moncton, the Hub City Young Professionals and 3+ Corporation.
Rotary International president Mark Maloney of Decatur, AL, will attend the event.
Anne Poirier Basque, President of Moncton Rotary, said in the release that this is “truly a momentous occasion.”
“We are honoured the international president of Rotary is making a special trip to mark the celebration. We are thrilled to have the opportunity to recognize four outstanding individuals in our region,” she said.
“As well, this is our chance to honour the hundreds of Rotarians from our clubs and their dedication to making a positive impact on this world. It’s an event you don’t want to miss.”
Rotary is now a global network of 1.2 million members and volunteer leaders dedicated to humanitarian services. One of its long-standing campaigns is to eradicate polio globally since 1979 with the backing of the likes of Bill Gates.
Tickets for the gala go on sale for the general public starting March 13.