Distinguished "Club" Service Award Honorees

Gilda M. Furbert

Gilda is an employee of the Bermuda Government for 35 years and facilitated alignment of workforce competences with business needs for adults, students and the specially-challenged.

Her Rotary accomplishments are an inspiration: 1st female member (1996) and 1st female President (2002) of Pembroke Rotary Club of Bermuda,1st female Director for Vocational and Community/Club services, Assistant District Governor 7230 to Helen Reisler and Marilyn Masiero. She is now a valued member of the St. George’s Rotary Club of Bermuda.

She is the recipient of several Paul Harris Fellows. In celebration of 100^th Anniversary of International Women’s Day in 2011 she was recognized by the Bermuda Women Council. Her major Community Service acts included: Organizing and coordinating fundraising Golf Tournaments for 24 years, the Bermuda College “Awards Program”, and the Matilda Smith Williams Senior Residence fundraiser ($85,000.00).

She is currently Vice President, Trustee Board member and member of the Pastor’s Aid Committee of the Bethel AME Church.

Kathleen Benitez

Freshman and Mercy College’s Rotaract Club’s Co-Treasurer, Kathleen Benitez, majors in Health Science while participating in activities like running 24 miles for Breast Cancer awareness, river clean-ups, writing letters to victims of abuse, and senior citizens. From motivating others to organizing events, Kathleen’s mission is to do good to others.

DR. EVELYN ISAACS

Dr. Evelyn Isaacs is this month's recipient of the District 7230 "Distinguished Club Service Award."

Evelyn received her initial training as a professional nurse in England, UK. She graduated from Hunter College and holds a Masters degree in Public Health from Columbia University, and later obtained a Doctorate degree in Education from the Nova South Eastern University. She worked with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the World Health Organization in Africa accumulating 23 years of international experience in the two organizations providing technical support to the 46 Sub-Saharan African countries.

Evelyn developed Community Public Health prevention education and training materials and gave technical professional support to various cadres of health personnel. She also adapted the international policy on HIV, Tuberculosis and Malaria prevention and control programs to develop health worker training curricula, protocols and guidelines aimed at improving hospital and community healthcare practices. Emphasis was placed on the importance of understanding specific country needs, and cultural practices and sensitivities which are among the important ingredients for achieving success in Public Health Programs.

Through her experience and in collaboration with Esther Yip who speaks Chinese and understands businesses and cultural sensitivities in Chinatown, she was able to make appreciable contributions to the COVID-19 face-to-face weekly community Saliva testing program, also supported by the Rotary Club of Chinatown New York in collaboration with MIRIMUS a local laboratory.

http://www.rotarychinatownny.org/

ROBERT "BOB" STERN

Robert “Bob” Stern (Rotary Club of Hartsdale/Greenburgh) is this month's recipient of the "Distinguished Club Service Award." Bob is the Founder and Chair of the District 7230 Disaster Relief Committee as well as the Co-chair District World community Service Committee. He serves on the Group Study Exchange Committee and initiated Hartsdale/Greenburgh name change to better define the service area. Additionally, he is the Chair of the District Simplified Grant Committee and Chair of the 2010 “ Breakfast with Santa” present project. Professionally Bob served 4 years at US Air Force and worked in medical sales before he retired in 2002.

As a proud member of the Rotary Club Hartsdale Rotary ( 1977-84), River towns Rotary ( 1987-2005) and since 2005 a member of the Hartsdale/Greenburgh Rotary he has served an amazing 5 times as Club President, 4 times as Assistant Governor and is a Paul Harris Society Member 2015-present and is a Paul Harris fellow x8.

He is active on social media and you can learn more about him and his wonderful club at FB @ Hartsdale-Greenburgh Rotary or web http://hartsdalerotary.org/. With 30 years of perfect attendance and as a graduate of the Rotary Leadership Institute, Bob is a great example and inspiration.

CATHY BASSETT

Cathy Bassett is a veteran educator, having served as a teacher and principal within the Bermuda public-school system. Cathy is a proud member of the Rotary Club of Hamilton, Bermuda. A Rotarian for the past 15 years, Cathy is well-known for her role in Rotary's Interact program on Bermuda. Her volunteer efforts also include leading a local Brownie troop, serving as a Pink Lady, coordinating Keep Bermuda Beautiful, and chairing the Duck’s Puddle Youth Community Initiative. Cathy recently received the Queen’s Certificate & Badge of Honour for Service to Young People.

MOHAMED ELSAADANY

Rotary International District 7230 is delighted to announce this month's recipient of our District 7230 Distinguished "Club" Service Award, Dr. Mohamed Elsaadany. Mohamed has been a proud member of the Rotary Club of North Shore Staten Island for seven years. He has served on the club's Board of Directors for the past three years and is a member of three committees (International Service, Night at the Races, & Scholarship). President Frank Wilkinson writes, "Mohamed is always thinking of others and is first to want to support others through our work." District Governor Mary Shackleton agrees, saying, "Mohamed is a model club servant. His winning smile and keen sense of fun are combined with a willingness to pitch in and do what needs doing. We should all emulate him as Rotarians."

Mohamed holds a PH.D. in Geology from the Graduate Center, City University of New York (CUNY) and is a member of the Geological Society of America, USA. He serves on the Boards of the Museum of Maritime Navigation & Communication (NY) and the New York Center for Interpersonal Development (NYCID). Mohamed co-founded the Egyptian American Cultural Foundation (NJ).

RUCHI KUMAR

Ruchi Kumar is a professional educational therapist who is committed to the fields of mental health and education, both as a working professional and in service. She has Master's degrees in Clinical Psychology and Special Education from Columbia University and is currently working in private practice. She is honored to be a part of the Rotary Metro Club NYC and is currently serving on their board as Director of Community Service. For the program, she hopes to diversify community service opportunities, in order to reach the many talents and professional experiences of all club members, so that they can have opportunities to serve in ways that are meaningful to them and in fields that they are passionate about. She operates from the modalities of positive psychology, mindfulness, and dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT), though has recently completed her training as a certified trauma professional, in hopes to specialize her counseling work to those who have experienced trauma and abuse.

Due to her passions for mental health and education, Ruchi strives to serve the community in those fields. She has given wellness seminars at Venture House in Queens and the Jewish Community Center of Greater Washington, and also tutored students in the CAMBA program in Brooklyn. This past summer, she went to Siem Reap, Cambodia to start a counseling program for students enrolled in the nonprofit organization, PEPY Empowering Youth. There, she worked with both staff and students to hold individual counseling sessions and also teach skills to help them cope with life adversity and mental health issues. She employs a strength-based training model to her counseling, with the goal of focusing on individual strengths and using those as a baseline to empower them to take back control to better their health and lives. For this reason, she trained her colleagues at PEPY in counseling skills, so that they could take over and continue the program she started last summer. She is thrilled to hear that they have continued this crucial work and taken ownership of it for the betterment of the students. She was inspired by PEPY’s work and so continues to keep in touch and continue to support the students and faculty there. Her future plans are to do more mental health service work in other Asian countries, as being from an Indian family, she knows that mental health is a high need area in most Asian countries, where there are limited resources and high levels of stigma.

Ruchi credits her passion and commitment for service to her family, whom she feels have led by example, and have always taught her, since childhood, the importance of giving back to the community and helping those who are less fortunate. She is grateful to be a part of Rotary, where she has met inspiring people and amazing friends who are like-minded in their commitment to service about self.

MARGUERITE CHADWICK-JUNER

Marguerite Chadwick-Juner exemplifies the best of Rotary’s values. She is a living example of “Service above Self”. Throughout her Rotary tenure, Marguerite has embodied Rotary’s ideals. For all her hard work on behalf of District 7230, Marguerite has accomplished many successes. She is responsible for the creation and production of Club journals, directories, websites, publicity and branding materials for Rotary.

Marguerite is a Club participant and has worked tirelessly to help Clubs facilitate and design countless public relations pieces for the success of community events and awareness. She has assisted many District Governors and has helped create and launch many Club projects by providing practical, motivational and strategic ideas for Club development and retention, as well as community outreach. Marguerite has made significant contributions to community organizations, student scholarships and international humanitarian efforts. She has been named a threetime Paul Harris Fellow for her contribution to Rotary.

Marguerite has a B.F.A. from Cooper Union in N.Y.C., where she had a full scholarship from the School of Arts League. Growing up on City Island, New York, Marguerite’s work has captured the rich nautical history of her hometown. Many of her prints and pieces are in the permanent collection of the City Island Nautical Museum. Her work has been exhibited extensively throughout the United States and Europe. She has won many prestigious honors including “Best in Show” awarded by noted panelist Daniel Greene, for her piece “Marie’s Garden”. She is cofounder of the City Island Arts Organization and has been twice recognized by Graphic Design USA magazine. Presently, Marguerite is a resident member of the Village Gallery in Oriental, N.C. In 2020, Walmart bought the rights to 3 of her watercolor images which they plan to turn into murals. She is also Vice President of the Pamlicko County Arts Council and in July 2020 won 1^st Place for her exhibition at The Carolina Artists Gallery in Moorehead City, N.C.

Marguerite resides in Oriental, North Carolina with her husband Peter, although she maintains her membership in the Rotary Club of the Bronx where she is an active member. Her work ethic and dedication to the Rotary Club of the Bronx has been nothing short of inspirational. We are proud an honored to celebrate her accomplishments and appreciate her many years of service and hard work on behalf of our great Rotary District 7230.