Service Above Self

Rockwall Rotary Club reflects on another successful year of service to the community

Rockwall Rotary Club 2017-2018 President Tim Hartley (left) presents Jeff Shell with a gavel and plaque commemorating his year of service as the Rotary's 2016-2017 President.

(ROCKWALL, TX — August 10, 2017) Members of the Rockwall Rotary Club celebrated another memorable year of Service Above Self with the recognition of several standout Rotarians, induction of new officers and the passing of the gavel to the club’s next president – Rockwall area trial attorney and longtime Rotarian Tim Hartley.

Service Above Self awards were presented to the following Rotarians who went above and beyond in their service to the community, in the workplace and abroad in Rotary International:

Dana Macalik, Lowell Moon, Jr., Chuck Bealmear, David Rains, Stephen Straughan, Greg Blair, Bill Cecil, Brad Epstein, and Ginny Ryan.

Richard Archibald was awarded Rotarian of the Year for his leadership in orchestrating a successful Hot Rocks Bike Ride in August of last year. The 30th anniversary race raised over $43,000 to go towards Rotary college scholarships for Rockwall ISD graduating seniors.

The Hot Rocks Bike Ride will return on August 12 and includes 12, 24, 42, and 62-mile routes plus the main event: a 100K.

Rockwall Rotary also recently installed its new officers for the coming year:

During its meeting on July 6, the Rockwall Rotary Club installed new officers for 2017-2018, including Ted Hoisington as Treasurer, Ginny Ryan as Secretary and Grant Dubois as Sergeant at Arms.

From the left: Leslie Buie, Bill Cecil, Tom Ryan, Richard Redig, David Rains, Stephen Straughan, John Curtis, and Pete Snyder.

President-elect – David Loftis
Vice President – Leslie Buie
Secretary – Ginny Ryan
Treasurer – Ted Hoisington
Sgt. at Arms – Grant Dubois
Club Service Director – David Rains
Vocational Service Director – David Sweet
Community Service Director – Stephen Straughan
International Service Director – Bill Cecil
Youth Service Director – John Curtis
Rotary International Chair – Pete Snyder
Program Chair – Richard Redig
Membership Chair – Tom Ryan
Directors – Jon Bailey, Frank Conselman, Larry Parks, Pete Snyder, Brian Williams

Rockwall Rotarians made a positive impact on the community through their support of local service organizations and programs, including the Helping Hands Bikes For Kids program in December 2016. The club helped provide 35 bicycles for kids of families served by Helping Hands during the Christmas event.

For the first time in a long time, the club applied for and received a district grant in support of the Children’s Advocacy Center of Rockwall County. Through the leadership of Rockwall Rotary Vocational Service Chair David Sweet, the club continued to recognize and support Rockwall ISD through its Student of Honor program and scholarships for graduating Rockwall High School and Rockwall-Heath High School seniors. With its $4,400 donation, the Rotary helped to build two homes for the Children’s Relief International’s Green Door Project which provides homes for families in need in Africa.

The selfless service mentality of the Rockwall Rotary is quickly catching on, as the club saw more than 20 new members join its cause this past year.

“This has been a remarkable year because of your Rotary story that has made this all possible,” said Jeff Shell, who served as the Rotary’s President this past year. “Being your president has been the biggest honor of my life, and I hope that I have made you all proud – proud of this club and proud to be a Rotarian.”

Taking the helm as President of Rockwall Rotary for 2017-2018 will be Tim Hartley, who has been a Rotarian for the past 12 years. Along with his proven track record as a criminal defense attorney, the long-time Heath resident is also into fly fishing, CrossFit training, and Snowcat skiing. Tim is happily married to his beautiful wife, Alison, and has three dogs and four horses.

“My hope is that we get out this year and do only great things for Rotary,” Tim said. “We are the elite service group in this community, and my hope and my goal is that we continue to strive to be that. I’m humbled to get this chance to be your president, and I’m looking forward to a year of service for you.”

Story and photos by Austin Wells, Blue Ribbon News.

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