Congratulations to our 2020 Rotarian of the Year, Dan Hart!  Presented by our 2019 Rotarian of the Year, Peter Kaurup: 
As I pondered drafting the script for this year’s Rotarian of the Year for 2020, a certain Jimmy Buffett song came to mind.  Its title is “Quietly Making Noise” and this year’s recipient definitely deserves being considered as an example of the songwriter’s intent.  It takes a special person who never seeks personal recognition but instead does their job quietly while getting others involved and making them believe that it was their idea in the first place.
 
There’s never been a year like 2020 and I know that we can all agree that we never want to see anything like it again during our lifetime.  But as we transitioned from the normalcy of our Rotary year beginning in July of 2019 and into the ever increasing challenges of 2020, certain individuals in our club stepped way up to assume the associated additional responsibilities.  Luckily, this year’s recipient had just retired from a career that provided him with years of opportunities to make a difference in other people’s lives and this retirement allowed him to give more of his personal time to Rotary.  Several of our members noted that “he has really stepped up since his retirement” and assumed even more responsibility in our club’s activities.  I believe that at this point everyone here knows that I’m talking about recently retired school administrator, Dan Hart.
 
Dan has worked tirelessly as our Membership Committee Chair.  In addition to keeping the committee focused and relevant he has also “rekindled the spirit of growth” in many of our members.  His efforts have helped to bring in several new members as a result and his desire to offer an alternative time and venue at a local restaurant provided us with a much needed change of direction in our meeting schedule. 
 
As Vocational Services Director, Dan has brought new life to our annual Vocational Services Month with new and interesting local business persons who have shared their career paths with us.  Dan then recognized them for their contributions via the local media outlets.
 
As Club Protection Officer, Dan has really made our required annual training fun and informative while discussing topics that can be otherwise be boring at times.
 
When Covid 19 dramatically impacted our food distribution programs at local food banks and school systems, Dan jumped right into assisting the Bridgton Lake Region Rotary Club at the Harrison Food Pantry as a food packer and delivery driver.  His service to this cause continued on for months at his own personal financial expense and during some very interesting inclement weather.
 
Due to his background within our local school district, Dan continues to be one of our strongest assets on the Scholarship Committee, promoting scholarships within the schools, organizing the selection process and professionally making the award presentations.  This is a man that knows hundreds of students and teachers on a first name basis and their scholastic backgrounds.  That’s impressive! 
 
Dan also volunteered with Ready Maine to assist at a local Covid 19 Vaccination operation.
 
He continues to be an integral member of our Board of Directors, bringing to the table many suggestions that can and will make our club more vibrant and relevant to our internal members and our external community.
 
So, in reflecting on Dan as this year’s Rotarian of the Year, I remember a quote from some previous leadership training – “A leader, aka Rotarian of the Year, is best when people barely know he exists;  when his work is done, his aim fulfilled;  they will say, we did it ourselves!”
 
So thank you Dan!  Well done!