Mark Redmond, Executive of Spectrum, Receives Paul Harris Fellow.

The service above self-award is a new tradition for our club and is  based on our club motto but also what the fine men and women of the Burlington Police Force do every day. Putting service above self. To commemorate this award the Burlington Rotary club has secured the highest honor a Rotarian can receive – The Paul Harris Fellow Award. It is named for our founder, Paul Harris, a Chicago lawyer who started Rotary International with three business associates in 1905.

The award is secured by donating $1,000 to the rotary foundation in the recipient's honor. The Rotary Foundation is the number 3 nonprofit in the world made up of a global network of Rotarians who invest their time and money into priorities such as promoting peace, fighting disease, supporting education, providing clean water and growing local economies. The funds we contribute to the foundation support the global efforts of Rotarians for three years and then are reinvested back into our local Burlington community

The first Paul Harris Fellow was given in 1957 and there are now over a million worldwide. Rotarians often designate a Paul Harris Fellow as a tribute to a person whose life demonstrates a shared purpose with the objectives of the Rotary Foundation and in this case the Burlington Police Department. That mission is to stop crime before it happens and make Burlington a safer and more prosperous city. Today we have the honor and pleasure of recognizing Mark Redmond, Executive Director of Spectrum Youth and Family Services, as he becomes the world’s newest Paul Harris Fellow.

Mark, thank you for all you have done for this city since you arrived in 2003. Our desire is to give the Service above Self award to a community members who indirectly makes the lives of the men and women of the Burlington police force better and there is no doubt in our mind that you accomplish this mission every day.