Larry Gebhardt Honored with Avenues of Service Award
LARRY GEBHARDT HONORED WITH AVENUES OF SERVICE AWARD.
In July the Pocatello Centennial Rotary Club celebrated its annual Leadership Transition Picnic at Centennial Park in Pocatello. On the occasion long-time Rotarian Larry Gebhardt was honored as the recipient of The Avenues of Service Award. Larry was nominated for this Rotary International Award by club president Randy Budge and the award was recognized by Rotary International and approved and presented to Larry by District Governor Rich Kirkham as Rich’s last official act as Governor. “Larry has served these past two years as our Interim District Trainer. He has done a fantastic job and has lent great wisdom and support to the Board of Directors (District Leadership Council). We wish Larry the very best in his next Rotary endeavors. To qualify for the AVENUES OF SERVICE awards, you must distinguish yourself in each of 5 areas of Rotary Service: Community, Youth, Club, International and Vocational service.
President Randy Budge said, “I am nominating this Larry for the Avenues of Service Award because of all that he has done over a lifetime of Rotary Service. Here is some of what Larry had done:
Club Service:
Larry has been a club president and has served on our board of directors for many years. He is also the grant writer for our club and has written and secured grants recently for two local and international project. One local project secured funding for a new HVAC system for New Day Products that trains and employees handicaps. A second project funded a children's playground for Aid for Friends shelter. Funding was also received fora hospital project in India. Larry also is our fund raising chairman and organizes and supervises beer sales at Gate City Grey's baseball games, our club's primary fundraiser.
Community Service:
Larry is a regular participant in all of our club's work projects, including quarterly work at the Idaho Foodbank, annual Simplot Square flower planting and biannual Bistline Corner maintenance and cleanup. Larry also serves on the Pocatello Club President's Group. He has also developed and helped secure grants in partnership with the Salvation Army, School DIstrict 25 and New Day Products securing funding for much needed equipment for each of these projects.
International Service:
Larry wrote and secured grant funding for a medical clinic in a small community in India. This was done in partnership with the local Rotary Club in that area. He also traveled to India with a group to help accomplish the project. Larry is also the local contact for BRIDGES, a project that works on refugee resettlement in our community. He is also currently pursuing a project with a club in Mexico to secure funding toe repair and upgrade a school in a poor community.
Vocational Service:
Larry has spoken extensively regarding his work history, both in the military as a submarine commander and post-military in the shipping industry on the east coast and also in Alaska. He also is a regular guest writer for the Idaho State Journal on a wide array of topics, including improvement of the education system, Rotary's motto of "service above self," support of refuge resettlement and community inclusiveness, civil rights, justice, poverty.
Youth Service:
Larry has been an active organizer, promoter and supporter of Pocatello Interact clubs. He and his wife have also hosted international students on more that one occasion, most recently a student from India last year. Larry it the consummate Rotarian, always in service to others, always working to build partnerships and relationships to accomplish good in our community and the world. He is constantly thinking creatively and proposing solutions to a multitude of problems, overcoming barriers, promoting inclusiveness and tolerance. He is a doer not a complainer and leads by example.”
Rotary International Service Staff sent a copy of the nomination to Governor Rich Kirkham who evaluated and approved the award and then made the presentation to Larry at the meeting.
Congratulations Larry for a lifetime of great service to Rotary and to others!
