Former Rotary Club of Salisbury president and 40 year club member Bill Satterfield has been selected as the club’s 2023-2024 Rotarian of the Year.  President Ernie Colburn selected Bill largely for his leadership of last September’s inaugural A Round for the Community golf outing that raised $20,000 that have been distributed to more than a dozen local community service organizations.  He also is leading the committee planning this September’s golf outing. 

 

 

President Colburn also recognized Bill for heading the club’s Public Image Committee that shares positive news about the club and its People of Action members and his volunteering to deliver Meals on Wheels. 

 

President Colburn said “Bill was selected “Rotarian Of The Year’ because he exemplifies our Rotary values through his commitment to service above self, fellowship, diversity, integrity, and leadership.”  A list of the club’s Rotarians of the Year going back 54 years is in the Download section of this website.

 

The Rotary Club of Salisbury, in its 105^th year of service to our community, has been recognized by the MAC Center, the local agency on aging, for a quarter of a century of support of the Meals on Wheels program that provides free meals to needy elderly persons in the county.  More significantly, the Wicomico County Commission on Aging has selected the club’s Meals on Wheels coordinator Ace Parker, who has headed the program for those 25 years, as one of its volunteers of the year. 

 

For 25 years, Mr. Parker has been leading, organizing, and scheduling dozens of club members to deliver meals, making the Rotary Club of Salisbury the only civic organization providing such support.  During these years of volunteer participation, club members have delivered 110,000 meals while saving the Meals on Wheels program $460,000 in transportation costs as club members use their own vehicles.  Mr. Parker’s years of program leadership is just one example of members of the Rotary Club of Salisbury being People of Action.

 

 

Ace Parker, on the right, was named a Wicomico County Commission on Aging Volunteer of the Year for his 25 years of leading the Rotary Club of Salisbury’s Meals on Wheels network of volunteers to deliver meals to needy elderly persons.  Making the presentation was commission member Rhonda Evans.  Club President Ernie Colburn accepted a certificate of appreciation for the club’s participation.

At tonight's meeting of the Rotary Club of Salisbury, the city's relatively new mayor Randy Taylor, a native of Salisbury, said being mayor was not on his " to do" list but felt compelled to seek the office because of deteriorating conditions in the city in the last eight to ten years.  The city budget had grown 60% in the last six years.  Mayor Taylor noted that the city's property tax rate is one of the highest in the state.  He said there are a lot of spinning plates in the city's governance.

 

 

Following his brief presentation, his time was devoted to answering questions about the Anne Street miniature houses project for homeless people, downtown parking and the shrinking number of parking places, the proposed Salisbury University performing arts center on the site of the current Wicomico County Public Library, bicycle lanes, and other topics.

 

Club members also heard an update on the club's September 6, 2024 A Round for the Community golf outing to raise money to share with local non-profit organizations.  Details on how to become a sponsor are elsewhere on this website.

 

The Rotary Club of Salisbury, in its 105^th year of service to our community, has presented the prestigious Four-Way Test Award to Captain Rich Wiersberg of the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office.

 

The award has been presented annually since 1963 to a non-Rotarian whose life exemplifies the tenants of the Rotary Four-Way Test that asks persons of the things they think, say, or do:

 

Mr. Wiersberg was cited for his volunteering at local organizations, community events, or participating in initiatives to uplift marginalized communities.  In presenting the award, Rotary Club of Salisbury President-elect B.J. Summers said, “he consistently demonstrates a deep sense of empathy, compassion, and dedication to making a positive impact on the world around us.”

 

 

Captain Wiersberg also was recognized for this desire to help those in need without seeking recognition or personal gain.  He was cited for his approach to every task with humility, kindness, and a willingness to go above and beyond to support others. Specifically he was recognized for his and his wife’s creation of the Wiersberg Warriors, an organization named after their son Spencer who battled terminal cancer and lost the battle at age 23.  This non-profit organization was created to support other young adults who are battling cancer, whether through helping with medical bills, buying food, offering small gifts to lift their spirits, or simply providing moral support. 

 

With 27 years in law enforcement, Mr. Wiersberg was described as a person who has lived his life as a role model for others.