Recipients pictured left to right - Madison Cline, Victoria Mulbach, Meleah Nelson and Madisyn Smith
On Monday, May 14, 2018, the Rotary Club of Canton presented four $1,000 scholarships to Canton Rotary Interact students at Benders Restaurant. Madison Cline, Victoria Mulbach, Meleah Nelson and Madisyn Smith were recipients of the Character Through Poetry Project scholarship. The scholarship is funded by the Daniel M. and Maureen O'Gunn Foundation and administered by the Rotary Club of Canton. To receive the scholarship, students must memorize and recite the "If" poem by Rudyard Kipling on two separate occasions and type the poem flawlessly. The Character Through Poetry Project began in 2010 and to date, fifteen students have received the scholarship. The "If" poem was written by Rudyard Kipling in 1895 in the form of paternal advice to his son John.
During our May 18, 2018 meeting, Rotarian Mike Brown from the YMCA presented scholarship checks to two Canton City School students, Jalin Turner and Oni Jones, who received the Rex and Betty Jane Mayfield scholarships. These scholarships honor the Mayfields' dedication to Christian service, their belief in education, and their support of the work of the YMCA. The two recipients had been recognized earlier this year as Character Champions by the YMCA and the Canton Rotary Club. These monthly Character Champions are recognized for their academic performance, community involvement, and commitment to continuing their education.
The Rotary Club of Canton was well represented at this year's District 6650 Conference at the beautiful Avalon Inn located in Warren, Ohio. In attendance were: President Amanda Tietze; President-Elect Michelle Mullaly; Vice President Mark Rojek; PDG/PP Bob Pattison; PDG/PP Dave Ewing; and Inbound Youth Exchange Co-Chair Amy Mustafaga.
Seven Canton Rotarians were remembered through a candle lighting memorial service honoring their contributions and service to Rotary. Those honored were: PP Don Coen, Pat Gannon, Ralph Regula, Jim Lockshin, John DeWees, Reich Watterson and John Schumacher.
Canton Rotary received two awards:
- The Roland Luhman Award for 'Best Community Project' for the Pocket Park Project (submitted by Chairperson PP Craig Young)
- Bryce Kendall Award for 'Best Club Avenue Project' for the Backpack/Pack the Bus program (submitted by Chairperson Michelle Mullaly)
Canton Rotary also received a certificate for donating $1,000 towards Polio Plus this year.
Our very own exchange student, Sara Baldoni and her partner lip synced to songs from the movie "Grease" at this year's District Conference.
