The Rotary Club of Marshalltown presented the Paul Harris and Kenneth Brintnall Awards to selected members at its holiday meeting on Dec. 15.

Rotary member Dennis Drager presented the Paul Harris Fellow Awards, given in honor of Paul Harris who founded Rotary in 1905. Members or non-members who have provided a cumulative gift of $1,000 or more to the Rotary International Foundation earn a recognition pin. Once established as a Paul Harris Fellow, recipients receive milestone awards for each additional $1,000 gift by adding sapphires and rubies to their pin.

Drager announced Jerry Stevens, Doug Reese, Don Zorne, Jim Lowrance, Ray Osthus, Scott Neff, Dennis Drager, Greg Brown and Kathy Baker as Paul Harris Fellows. Due to COVID-19, the pins were mailed to recipients.

Drager explained Marshalltown Rotary members have donated more than $557,000 to the RI Foundation since its inception in 1917. Among many other projects, the Foundation has led the fight to eradicate polio worldwide. Locally, RI has helped support the Josh the Otter Safety Program, the Coats Project, Live on Stage, tornado and derecho recovery and the Water Project in South Sudan.

Rotary member Doug Gervich presented the 2020 Kenneth Britnall Memorial Award to Rotarian John Fink. “The Kenneth Britnall Award is the highest honor our club can bestow and is one of the top awards citizens in the community can achieve in service to others,” Gervich said.

Gervich said Fink is a Paul Harris Fellow and has served the Rotary Club of Marshalltown as a member of the Board of Directors, as well as president and past president. He spent many years on the Chaplin Committee and has led the prayer and pledge to open Rotary meetings.

“This Rotarian rings bells for the Salvation Army and has helped with the Coats Project multiple times,” Gervich said.

Fink was a leader in the international Rotary “SUN OVEN Project” and is involved in numerous community activities, including serving nearly 40 years on the Senior Citizen’s Center Board and on the Child Abuse Prevention Services Board.

John Fink is a Wartburg grad with a degree in accounting and has worked for Lennox Industries for more than 40 years in various accounting roles. Fink and his wife Sue have four children – Michael, Joey, Katie, and Patrick. Fink and Sue also have three grandchildren, all born in June 2020.

Rotary Secretary Kim Jazz-Ramirez displayed the plaque on Zoom for the Finks to see. The plaque reads, “Kenneth Britnall Memorial Award Presented to John Fink for Distinguished Service in the Rotary Tradition of ‘Service Above Self’ (from the) Rotary Club of Marshalltown.” Because of the pandemic, the plaque will be delivered to Fink at a later date.

Fink expressed his gratitude to Rotary and for the many wonderful experiences he has had with the club.