by Tivy High School ROTC cadet Aidan Baxter, bottom,
to lead off the Rotary Club of Kerrville's annual
1st Responders Awards luncheon at the Inn of Hills
Hotel and Conference Center.
The program for the meeting last Wednesday, Feb. 7, was a favorite of many Rotarians — the annual 1st Responders Salute, during which our membership is joined by those who serve in uniform in our community. We truly enjoy honoring the well-deserving, best of the best within their ranks.
President Kristy Vandenberg, above, led off the program,
while Charlie McIlvain, below, recognized dignitaries who
had joined us for the annual awards program.
Serving as master of ceremonies for the occasion,
and giving the proper introductions of the various
presenters during the program was Rotarian Jeff Wendling.
The program was held before a crowded conference center room full of club members, as well as honored firefighters, law enforcement officers, paramedics, game wardens, DPS troopers, a large gathering of their fellow servicemen and servicewomen in uniform, and, to our delight, some of their family members.
Kerrville Fire Department Chief Dannie Smith, left, presents a plaque and recognizes 2017 EMS Person of the Year, Firefighter/Paramedic Ken Chambers.
Kerrville Fire Department Lt. Troy Seewald, right, is honored as the 2017 KFD Officer of the Year by KFD Chief Dannie Smith.
(Kerrville Fire Department's 2017 Firefighter of the Year award recipient, Justin Blue, a driver/paramedic, was not in attendance.)
Kerrville Police Department
Kerrville Police Department Chief David Knight took to the podium to address the Rotary Club of Kerrville and give thanks to the organization for making the time and expending the effort to honor those in uniform.
Chief Knight, left, announced that Officer Austin Beal was the recipient of the 2017 KPD Officer of the Year award.
Kerr County Sheriff's Office
Kerr County Sheriff Rusty Hierholzer reported to attendees that the past year wasn't an easy one for his office, what with the closing of the juvenile detention facility, the expansion of the county jail, the fire that happened during the expansion of the jail, the need to transport prisoners out of county to accommodate the project, and ... oh, and a whole host of criminals his department had to round up.
The sheriff recognized Sergeant William W. Callcott as the 2017 KCSO Deputy Sheriff of the Year.
Sheriff Hierholzer commended Corrections Officer Wayne D. Johnson as the 2017 Corrections Officer of the Year.
Ingram Police Department
Ingram Police Chief Byron Griffin was pleased in his second year at the helm of his department to name Sergeant Trudy Allen as the 2017 Ingram Police Officer of the Year.
Kerr County Volunteer
First Responder
Joshua "Road" Block, left, was commended by Kerr County Commissioner Bob Reeves for saving the life of a child last year. Block was named the 2017 Kerr County Volunteer First Responder.
Texas Department of Public Safety
Department of Public Safety Senior Trooper James “Jim” Behrens, right, is recognized as 2017 Trooper of the Year by Sgt. Chris LeLonde.
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
Filling in for Captain Jeff Carter, who was unavoidably absent due to illness, Major Alan Teague, left, names TPWD Game Warden V Sam C. Harris as the 2017 Game Warden of the Year.
Special Achievement Awards
Kerr County Deputy Constable Reagan W. Givens, second from right, and Deputy Constable James B. Lang, right, both who serve in the Kerr County Environmental Health and Animal Services Department were honored with 2017 Special Achievement Awards, presented at the luncheon by, from left: Kerr County Commissioners Tom Moser, Harley Belew and Bob Reeves.
An unidentified volunteer shelves books donated by Kerrville Rotarians to a school in St. Lucia.
Morning Rotary provides books to St. Lucia
The Kerrville Morning Rotary Club announced that it has provided more than 700 books and magazines to the library of the Anse La Raye Primary School on the island of St. Lucia in the Caribbean.
The project is the brainchild of Rotarian John Aceti and his wife, Carol, who have tutored at the school in St. Lucia.
Assisting in the project were fellow Rotarians, Samantha Booth, Drew Whitehead and Laura Bechtel, who also happens to be the director of Kerrville's own Butt-Holdsworth Memorial Library.
The Kerrville Morning Rotary Club wishes to thank the following for their generous donations:
• Notre Dame Catholic School and Comfort libraries, and,
• Friends of the Butt-Holdsworth Memorial Library.
Additional expressions of gratitude are due to the owners of the local UPS store, Ginny and Bill Bull, and their daughter, Angela Brinkley, for their assistance.
The morning group meets at 6:45 a.m. Thursdays at The Salvation Army Ray and Joan Kroc Corps Community Center, 201 Holdsworth Drive in Kerrville.
Scheduled to speak on Feb. 15 is Barry Wall, of Texas Rainwater Systems.
Leading the morning group are: Lew McCoy, president; Laura Bechtel, president-elect; Jon Tilley, treasurer; Kenneth O'Neal, secretary; Frank Dunlap, sergeant-at-arms; Waverly Jones, past president, and Randy McClay, for the Rotary Foundation.
To find out more about the Kerrville Morning Rotary Club, including its calendar of speakers and projects, visit www.kerrvillemorningrotary.org.
Feb. 20: The Rotary Satellite meeting will be Tuesday, Feb. 20, starting at 5:30 p.m. at the Wells Fargo Building.
Feb. 28: Rotary President Kristy Vandenberg will provide a club update for our last luncheon of the month, at 11:45 a.m. at the Inn of the Hills.
And, Rotarians...don't forget to pencil in March 3!
RISE AGAINST HUNGER + COMMUNITY FOOD DRIVE will be Saturday, March 3, from 9:30 a.m. to noon.
Rotarians will be joined by Interact, Kiwanis Club and Lions Club members, as well as others, at the Hill Country Youth Event Center, 2785 Texas 27 in Kerrville to package an estimated 20,000 family meals. Bring a bag or box of groceries to help volunteers fill the shelves at:
• The Salvation Army,
• Christian Assistance Ministry,
• St. Vincent de Paul,
• First United Methodist Church, and,
• the Veterans Center.
Need ideas on what's needed? Here's a few suggestions:
cereals, peanut butter, canned meats, canned vegetables, canned pasta, jelly, snack crackers, PopTarts, snack packs of nuts and fruit, Easy Mac and Cheese, rice packs and other non-perishable items.
Please, pursue "service above self" and join us in fighting hunger!
Need to make up a meeting?
If you find yourself needing to make up a meeting, turn to the Rotary Club of Kerrville's website — www.kerrvillerotary.org — and select the "Make Up a Meeting" tab along the top line, third from the right.
There, it lists meeting groups, times and locations in District 5480, as well as provides you with locator services for finding a make up wherever you may be in the world!
Who are your "ClubRunner" Champions?
Ever wonder who the fellow Rotarians are behind the Kerrville club's website?
Led By Sue Whinnery, the team of ClubRunner Champions — members who have been trained to use the ClubRunner software and maintain the club's website — include: Cathy Laffan, Trace McCuan, Robin Miears and Jonas Titas.
If you would like to contact them, their emails are, in order of mention: mswhinn@windstream.net, cwlaffan@gmail.com, tmccuan@kpub.com, robin@joecookagency.com and jonas.titas@kerr-edc.com.
Additionally, some of the material found on the website is material we've featured in our weekly newsletter, Spoke.
Your Spoke team includes: Jimmy Hutto, David Martin, Paul Anderson and Lisa Walter.
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Club Administrator: Caroline Wilson, (512) 787-7964