KNYSNA NEWS - Rotary can bestow the Paul Harris Award to any member of a community who performs outstanding service to that community. The award is named after Rotary founder Paul Harris, and is one of the highest awards that can be given in Rotary.
The sapphire pin is equivalent to a double Paul Harris Award and is given to persons who are already Paul Harris Fellows and show commitment to Rotary ideals.
The first Paul Harris Award was given in 1957 and worldwide there are now over a million recipients, both Rotarians and non-Rotarians.
Recently, the Rotary Club of Knysna bestowed Paul Harris Awards to Jill Mathiesen and Andy Muir. Sapphire Awards were given to Elwin Thompson and Mick Furman.
Jill Mathiesen
Both in her capacity as a lawyer and a private person, Jill has long been involved in supporting the Knysna community. She served as a trustee of the Knysna Education Trust for 20 years and has been involved in many other service activities. After the Knysna fires, a retired American businessman, Fred Alger, donated $100 000 (about R1.3-million) to be spent by Jill on support for fire victims. With great dedication, compassion and diligence, she personally met with fire victims and together assessed their needs and arranged purchases.
She identified businesses that needed assistance to restart their activities. In effect, she was a one-person committee who fulfilled the brief of the donor and provided essential help to many individual fire victims. About 80 businesses and households benefited from this fund. Household donations averaged R10 000, mainly for appliances, furniture and linen.
Jill Mathiesen was also honoured with the Paul Harris Award.
Businesses received tools and equipment for an average value of R20 000. Jill encouraged beneficiaries to write thank-you letters to Fred, who has been very touched by the gratitude.
Andy Muir
Andy Muir is a well-known Knysna optometrist and has been a Rotarian since 2009. As both chair and member of the club’s project services committee, Andy has overseen the support of many successful projects in Knysna. He also has a passion for the improvement of mathematics and science for both teachers and learners at various high schools in the Knysna area, introducing the Siyavula Project.
This is a private initiative that enables learners to access online teaching using their mobile devices.
Andy Muir received the Paul Harris Award.
Teachers are also trained in this methodology and receive structured reports on the progress of the learners. Andy arranged for the UCT Schools Development Unit to launch a pilot project together with Siyavula in Knysna. This project is continuing.
Elwin Thompson
Elwin Thompson is both a past president of the Rotary Club of Knysna, as well as a past district governor. He has diligently been involved in many of the club’s projects and initiatives in Knysna. For many years he has served on the committee for the annual Knysna Cycle Tour, the club’s main fundraiser, enabling it to carry out its projects and support initiatives such as student bursaries.
Elwin Thompson was another Paul Harris Sapphire Award recipient.
For his dedication and work, Elwin was awarded the Paul Harris Sapphire award.
Mick Furman
Mick Furman, a past president of the Rotary Club of Knysna, was the chair of the Rotary Fire Relief Fund that was formed a few days after the June 2017 fires. More than R4-million was donated locally and from overseas and distributed to fire victims. Mick is also on the committees of our two global grants that support the Knysna Education Trust as well as the Knysna Sport Academy.
More recently, he has spearheaded a joint global grant which will provide neonatal equipment to the Children’s Red Cross Hospital in Cape Town, coordinating the support of Rotary Clubs in South Africa, the United Kingdom and Canada. For all these contributions to the community, Mick was given the Paul Harris Sapphire Award.
Article: Rotary
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