People of Action Award
 

The Arbutus Club was encouraged, by District 5040, to send a nomination for Past President Joy Johnston for the work she, our Arbutus Club, and Rotario San Salvador Noroestre did for the cleaning of foreshores and beaches in El Salvador.  

 

For this award, the District was particularly interested in people who have launched a project that grew into something greater than anticipated or that led to unexpected and wide ranging results, participation, and social change in the country where they took place.  Our El Salvador Project fit that description.

 

Joy has been steadfast in declaring that Rotario San Salvador Noroestre grew the project through their extraordinary hard work – with hundreds of community participants – and their ability to negotiate with mayors and all levels of government to help make change happen.

 

However, the idea sprang from Joy’s personal passion for the oceans and her worry about plastic pollution. Stoked by a speaker at a Rotary Arbutus meeting, and then turned into action by club fundraising efforts that gave the project legs.  She also sought out the right El Salvadoran Club partner and proposed the project to them.  It is to their credit that they, and her club, accepted her challenge to “do good in the world”.

 

Anyone wishing to read the entire nomination proposal, please contact President Lydia.  In the meantime, here are the bare bones of the nomination: