The Seward Rotary Club held its annual Service Above Self Awards Celebration April 26 at the Junto Winery Events Center near Garland.
This was the Seward Rotary Club’s 101st anniversary, having organized in Seward, in 1925. Rotarian and Past President Russ Sommerfeld served as the emcee for the evening’s program.
The Seward Rotary Club voted to present the annual Wayne Tanderup Award to Kierra Bennett of Seward. She was recognized for perseverance and determination, which was exemplified by longtime Rotarian, the late Wayne Tanderup.
Bennett is an outstanding volunteer in the community, a loyal employee and she had overcome her perceived disability and created a very successful banking career at the Jones Bank, serving in bank operations. She is the daughter of the late Lucy and Richard Bennett of Seward, enjoys her four siblings, Stephanie, Chris, Tom and Jason, and she has three grown children, Sabrina, Simon and Samuel.
The Seward Rotary Club honored Seward volunteer Michelle Meyer with the annual Clark Kolterman-Seward Rotary Service Above Self Award for her outstanding leadership and volunteer efforts in the community. She will have her name engraved on the Service Above Self wall plaque. Meyer was also presented with a Paul Harris Fellow Award by the Seward Rotary Club and the Seward Rotary donated $1,000 in her honor to the Rotary International Foundation.
She is married to Kellen Meyer and has four children, Kinslee, Emalyn, Resse and Hayes.
The Seward Rotary Club now also annually honors a local business or industry that exemplifies high business ethics and the values of the Rotary Club’s Four Way Test, involving truth, being fair, promoting goodwill and better friendships and being beneficial to all.
The annual The T.H. Wake, Sr. Award, named to honor the Seward Rotary Club’s first president T.H. Wake, Sr., was presented to Seward’s Hughes Brothers, Inc. and the Hughes family.
John Hughes, the president of Hughes Brothers, Inc. shared the 100+ years of history of Hughes Brothers, Inc. He also spoke on the strong relationship of Hughes Brothers to the Seward community and thanked the Seward Rotary for the honor.
Youth Rotarians Molly Marroquin and Lily Brashear opened the evening with the National Anthem, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance and a prayer by Rotarian Anita Foor.
Rotarian Ken Schmieding was recognized for his 50+ years of perfect attendance with the Seward Rotary Club, attending every meeting for the past 50+ years or “making up” the meeting at another Rotary Club or Rotary event. Schmieding accepted the engraved award and reflected on the many wonderful memories and experiences because of being part of the Seward Rotary Club.
Russ Sommerfeld also recognized the three members of the Seward Rotary Club with 50+ years of membership – Chuck Matzke, Schmieding and Clark Kolterman. He thanked those three for their leadership and loyalty to the Seward Rotary Club and wished them all the best at achieving the next 50.
A special welcome was shared by the Seward Rotary Club President Amber Fiala, who thanked the audience for attending and supporting the work of the Seward Rotary and thanked the many members, who are all volunteers and made the event happen.
John Moody, who will be representing the Seward Rotary in the approaching Rotary Polio Plus Bike Ride, was introduced and thanked for his efforts to help raise funds to eliminate polio worldwide. He will be biking for Seward Rotary on May 23 in Iowa.
Rotary District Governor Robert Rapp of the Omaha Morning Rotary Club was introduced and shared the value of working together to achieve peace in the world. He also introduced honored guests Gretchen Bren of Omaha, Rotary District Governor-Elect and her husband, Past District Governor Gary Bren, both of the Omaha Suburban Rotary Club.
Mayor and Seward Rotary member Josh Eickmeier was also introduced, along with Seward County Commissioner and Seward Rotarian Ken Schmieding. Senator and Seward Rotary member Jana Hughes, as well as former Senator Mark Kolterman, who is also a member of the Seward Rotary Club.
The guest speaker for the evening was former State Sen. Matt Williams of Gothenburg. He is a long-time banker and community leader and currently serves as the state president for the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce and as the president of the UNL Innovation Campus. He was introduced by Mark Kolterman, with whom he served in the state legislature for eight years. Williams’ talk addressed the value of community and that we need to work together to achieve real success.
The meal for the evening was catered by Milford’s Pizza Kitchen. A silent auction with dozens of items donated by members of the Seward Rotary Club and area businesses preceded the evening’s program and a special Junto “Wine Raffle” was also held, featuring many of the selected favorites of Junto Wine. All proceeds go to the Rotary International Polio Plus campaign, Seward Rotary projects such as the Literacy Festival, the Rotary Foundation and the Nebraska National Guard Museum’s USA-250 exhibit.
The live music for the evening was furnished by Seward’s Stan Mitchell for the social hour and during the meal.
For more information on the Seward Rotary visit its Facebook page or Rotary.com and discover Rotary’s message.
