Breakfast Rotary Club praises Justin’s vision
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The Let Service Light the Way Award, which will be given annually, was created by the club’s past presidents to honor a Warren County resident who has performed a valuable volunteer service.
Breakfast Rotary past president Dr. Jeff McKinley said upon creating the award, Justin’s name kept “coming to the top” in discussions by the club’s award selection committee. “She gave a presentation at one of our meetings a few months ago and we were very impressed,” McKinley said.
What is now known as CHEER Mental Health was started by Justin 33 years ago, at a time when mental illness was rarely discussed in public. Justin, whose sister suffered from mental illness, wanted more for her, and other local sufferers, than just leaving them in a room of a mental hospital. After much work, CHEER was born and the citizens of Warren County had their own mental health facility.
“Thank you,” Justin told club members Tuesday night. “This is quite an honor. If we keep our hearts in tune and our knees in prayer there are no problems we can’t solve.”
In receiving the Let Service Light the Way Award Justin was named a Paul Harris fellow, a recognition reserved for those individuals who have donated or have had donated in their name $1,000 to the Rotary Foundation, a non-profit corporation which “supports the efforts of Rotary International to achieve world understanding and peace through international humanitarian, educational, and cultural exchange programs.”
Justin was also made an honorary member of the Breakfast Rotary Club.