District Gov. Betsy Owen, 2009 Opal Awards Event Producer and Public Relations Director Jon Kaye, Rotary Club President Craig Richman and 2009 OPAL Awards Co-Chairmen Alan Kaye and Neil Saffer.
There are 33,000 Rotary Clubs spanning 200 countries boasting a global membership of more than 1.2 million, and the Boca club was recently awarded the Rotary International Significant Achievement Award. The award is in recognition of the club’s 2009 Outstanding People And Leaders (OPAL) gala that funds scholarship programs for local students, and it is the first time in the club’s 53-year history they received the honor. “It is an amazing honor and quite an achievement. I cannot recall any other club in the district receiving this prestigious award,” said District Gov. Betsy Owen. District 6930 is comprises 49 clubs and covers Titusville south to Boca Raton, and Owen said the award is given based on several criteria.
“The project must address a pressing community need, involve most of the club’s members, and it must be a project that other clubs can emulate,” she said. 2009 OPAL Award co-chairman Neil Saffer said the OPALs are designed to recognize Boca’s unsung heroes. “Some people do a tremendous amount of good in the community that goes somewhat unnoticed. The program is designed to honor those citizens, and anyone can be nominated,” he said.
The five award categories are education, healthcare and medicine, civil service, private sector and community service.
“I find that most times people involved in these activities or those giving back to the community rarely do so for the accolades. Being able to recognize these individuals, while also funding local students’ education is a great program,” said Mayor Susan Whelchel.