Santa Paula Rotarian of the Year Michele Johns a quiet, dedicated worker
July 20, 2011
By Peggy Kelly
Santa Paula News
It didn’t take long for a relatively new member of the Santa Paula Rotary Club to show her dedication to “Service Above Self” - efforts that resulted in Michele Johns being honored as the Rotarian of the Year.
During his demotion meeting Rotary President Paul Skeels noted that as the club leader he made the Rotarian of the Year selection, and he described the recipient without initially revealing her name. “It falls on the club president to do a lot” of award bestowing, and Skeels said the club contains members that are both “high-profile and lower-profile.”
The latter is essential to the club, as “The lower-profile is the type that keeps the club going,” and that starts with a good meeting attendance record. The recipient had “excellent attendance, 91 percent last year and 88 percent this year... and I’m amazed at the things this Rotarian has accomplished,” especially as a member only starting in 2009.
Skeels noted the honored Rotarian was sponsored by Ginger Gherardi for club membership, and soon proved her mettle by taking on the responsible of signing up and organizing volunteers for the month of weekends Pumpkin Patch. Herding hundreds of volunteers might get others down, but Skeels said Johns “is always pleasant and positive,” and has a “can-do attitude and she always follows through” on any assignment or responsibility she tackles.
“Michelle is upholding and furthering the Rotary ideals as a way of life,” noted Skeels. Aside from more formal recognitions of her Rotarian of the Year honor, Johns also received flowers from the club in appreciation of her efforts.
Johns has long been an active community volunteer. She her husband Rod opened their hillside home for a featured stop on the Santa Clara Valley Hospice Home Support Group Home & Garden Tour, and she has been active in or by support of the annual Ghostwalk, California Chamber of Commerce, Ready Santa Paula!, Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford, Santa Paula Downtown Merchants Association, Santa Paula Theater Center, Moonlight at the Ranch, Santa Paula Art Museum and Citrus Classic Balloon Festival, among others.
