Paul Harris, a Chicago lawyer, founded Rotary in 1905. Within 10 years it was an international organization with the formation of the Rotary Club of Winnipeg, Canada. Today Rotary International is in over 200 countries and geographical regions with over 1.2 million members.
The Paul Harris Fellow was established in 1957 as a means to ensure the sustainability of Rotary and its programs. This became the Rotary Foundation and is today one of the world’s largest and most respected charitable organizations. Famous recipients of the Paul Harris Fellow include Mother Teresa, former US President Jimmy Carter and former Russian President Boris Yeltsin, UN Secretary General Javier Perez de Cuellar, the polio vaccine developer Jonas Salk, the entertainer Pearl Bailey, and the astronaut James Lovell.
Beginning in 2008*, the Rotary Club of Belleville launched an annual program to recognize up to three local individuals who, while not members of the Rotary Club of Belleville, do live up to the ideals of Rotary – Service Above Self. Individuals are nominated by members of the Club, and the recognition is the highest honour our Club can bestow on an individual. This special evening is dedicated to recognizing the extraordinary commitment, generosity and community impact as nominated by members of the Rotary Club of Belleville. The Paul Harris Award reflects the very heart of Rotary: service above self, collaboration and a shared belief that collective effort can create meaningful change in our community and beyond. Recipients for 2025 are the Late Connie Carson, nominated by Karen Baker, Ian Clark, nominated by Sam Brady, Richard Hammond, nominated by Dr. Ruth Mathieson and Lorne Holditch, nominated by Tracy Bray.
The late Connie Carson was active in many local and national organizations including the Canadian Real Estate Association, Quinte & District Real Estate Board, The Enrichment Centre for Mental Health (where the Connie Carson Community Champions award was created), Three Oaks Foundation, Bay of Quinte Yacht Club, Quinte Home Builders, 100 Women Who Care Quinte (one of the founders), Walk A Mile In Her Shoes, The Children's Safety Village, Hastings Historical Society and Belleville Heritage Committee. Connie’s real passion was the history of the City of Belleville and the stories of the old buildings and the people they served. She authored three books which led to the creation of the Facebook page “Belleville Memories” which has over 16,000 members. The group helps community members reminisce about the city, and by utilizing the community, many photographs have been preserved online, along with the record of who is in them and when each photo was taken. This historical preservation effort would not have been possible without Connie first igniting the passion of the community. The Facebook page has allowed for people from across Canada and beyond to connect with old friends, family members and former school and work mates. It is a great walk down memory lane.
Since moving to the area in 2016, Ian Clark has contributed to the local community as a financial sponsor for programs such as the BGHF, YMCA Strong Kids, the Children's Foundation, the Humane Society and the Rotary Club of Belleville.
Richard Hammond moved from Toronto into an old East Hill home and offered up the coach house to store the used furniture and items for the 5 sponsored families that came from Damascus , Syria to live amongst us, in 2016. Once settled in Belleville, Rick walked down to Bridge St Church, where “ Inn from the Cold” was in full swing. Food insecure families were fed every evening, for 6 weeks in January and February. Rick immediately helped out, working 3 days a week from 8 or 9 in the morning until 5pm. He peeled and chopped vegetables when he began volunteering but soon worked his way up to be the assistant to Mel Plewes, the cook at the time, eventually becoming the head cook himself. Not only did Rick cook but he helped to develop more programs. Never one to stop, he has also developed programs at the Salvation Army and the John Howard Society as well as becoming involved in downtown revitalization efforts..
Lorne Holditch and his late wife, Sheila Stafford, created and annually host the Deadnersville Hallowe’en Display (on Rednersville Road) , a 260-foot-long walkthrough of themed scare zones, complete with lights, fog, animatronics, live Hallowe’en characters, and hand-built props — all offered free of charge to the public. But Deadnersville serves a deeper purpose: supporting the Belleville General Hospital Foundation through voluntary donations collected on site. With the help of volunteers — from neighbors to high school students earning community service hours — Lorne has turned his personal passion into a meaningful force for good raising over $100,000 since 2013 and being visited annually by more than15,000 fans. The project is a great example of “Service Above Self” as well as community building.