John, who has been the health director since 2003, said he was grateful to be selected as Health Director of the Year, but said the accomplishment is not his alone.

“It was an honor for me to be selected,” he said, “but there are a lot of other health directors that go into making that association and what we do special. It’s my coworkers who make public health what it is through day-to-day patient care and customer service.”

The Health Department has between 90 and 95 employees under John’s direction.

The Health Director of the Year award is sanctioned by the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners and implemented through NCALHD.

Congratulations John!

Boy Scout Troop #61's Al Bain is given a check for $250 by club Treasurer, Peter Stickland

Al Bain, a local attorney with Bain, Buzzard and McRay in Lillington, NC, is also an Assistant Scout Leader with our Boy Scout Troop #61. This evening he spoke to us on the merits (no pun intended) of Scouting.

Troop #61 has 24 Scouts in membership, they have nearly doubled their troop size in the last year or two. The troop is made up of a diverse group of boys, most of whom attend Harnett Central and Middle schools.

The aim of Boy Scouts is; character development, citizenship training, and mental & physical fitness. The boys learn leadership by taking turns in leadership roles within their troop. They learn skills by doing, failing, support and learning.

Troop #61 is looking for opportunities in joint ventures for fund raising. Our club offered up some ideas, and will be communicating with the troop on future plans.

As the sponsoring club of Troop #61, the Lillington Rotary Club donated $250 to help with the troop’s good works and endeavors.

Author Bryan Avery

We were honored by a visit from local historical author, Bryan Avery, who talked about the history of Harnett county, and Aversboro in the Revolutionary and Civil wars.

Bryan has written two books; the first dealing with the Revolutionary period, the second on the Antebellum period.  The first book takes a look at the war from both a Northerner’s and a Southerner’s view of things. The second book is decidedly on more of a Southerner’s view.

The author said that he has done a lot of his researched through the internet, and through other one-on-one discussions with other historians, plus he has done hands-on research when traveling to areas of interest.

In addition to writing, Bryan has been behind efforts to erect several  monuments for the old village of Aversboro and for its heroes. Bryan also told us about a history trail, running from Dunn to Lillington, which is in the planning stages.

Bryan is working on a third book, this one will be dealing with the Civil War.

Come and share this auspicious occasion with us this year, as we also honor former U.S. Senator Robert Morgan with a Lifetime Achievement Award.

Order your tickets today!

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Rotary, a humanitarian service organization with nearly 33,000 clubs in more than 200 countries and geographical areas, made polio eradication its top priority in 1985.  As the volunteer arm and lead private sector contributor in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), Rotary has since contributed US$700 million, and its members have logged countless volunteer hours to help immunize more than two billion children in 122 countries.

“The extraordinary dedication of Rotary members has played a critical role in bringing polio to the brink of eradication,” says Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. “Eradicating polio will be one of the most significant public health accomplishments in history, and we are committed to helping reach that goal.”

Local Rotary volunteer Glenn Hood views Rotary’s fundraising efforts as a way to fulfill the organization’s promise of a polio-free world.  “Twenty years ago, we made a pledge to end this crippling and potentially fatal disease – once and for all.  As we stand on the brink of victory, we will do everything within our power to fulfill this promise to the children of the world.”

Remarkable progress has been achieved in the fight against polio. Since 1988, the number of polio cases has been reduced from 350,000 a year to only 1,307 in 2007.  Today, 70 percent of the world’s population lives in polio-free countries.  The Americas were declared free from polio in 1994, the Western Pacific region in 2000, and Europe in 2002.

A highly infectious disease, polio still strikes children mainly under the age of five in countries in Africa, Asia and the Middle East.  Polio can cause paralysis and sometimes death.  As there is no cure for polio, the best protection is prevention.  For as little as 60 cents worth of oral vaccine, a child can be protected against polio for life.

The GPEI is spearheaded by the World Health Organization, Rotary International, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

For further information, visit www.rotary.org/endpolio

The Hood Family PHF Christmas Photo

This is how they have done it:

18-Jan-1999 – Glenn (long-standing club member)
12-Nov-2001 – Ann Lasater Hood  (spouse)
13-May-2003 – Son (Michael Eric Hood)
13-May-2003 – Daughter (Melissa Ann Hood)
13-Apr-2005 – Daughter-in-law (Amy B. Hood)
13-Apr-2005 – Son-in-law (William M. Poovey)
02-May-2006 – Grandson – (Benjamin Jackson Hood)
30-Oct-2007 – Grandson – (Nathan Davis Hood)
23-Oct-2008 – Granddaughter – (Annabelle Stuart Poovey)
06-Dec-2011 – Grandson – (William Sherod Poovey)

It has taken a while to complete this process, but as they get older and become Rotarians, they will be able to say they have been Paul Harris Fellows all their lives!

Merry Christmas from Rotary!

The Rotary Club of Lillington was represented in the annual Lillington Christmas Parade this year. The parade included several high school bands, two Sudan mini-car groups, horse and buggies, floats galore, and of course, old St. Nick himself!

President Jason Wunsch, his wife Laura and his daughter Brooklyn road in a car driven by club member Karen Kratz.

During the hand out, one of our Rotarians will talk about the importance of a dictionary, and then ask the students to look up a word or two. We also always make sure to point out the plate in the front of each dictionary which has the Four-Way Test printed upon it. We recite the Test and then help to explain it so that the children might have the opportunity to use it in their decision-making.

While handing out the dictionaries a child said, “This dictionary is the best thing I ever got.” That is why we do what we do.

A parent volunteer was waiting at the Principal’s office at Buies Creek Elementary School and was excited to find out that we were the ones who had provided the dictionaries. Two years ago her daughter had gotten one and was still using it in the 5th grade. The child had mentioned receiving the book two years ago and that our group had presented them to her class.

In this photo, Rotarian Dr. Tom Holmes has presented one of the students with her award.