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Finks receive Rotary Club of De Pere ‘Roses for the Living’ award

The Rotary Club of De Pere was founded to give back to the community through various acts of service. Submitted photo

By Josephine Hinderman

Contributing Writer

DE PERE – On April 24, the Rotary Club of De Pere will recognize John and Lynn Fink with this year’s “Roses for the Living” award.

The award is presented to someone who has gone above and beyond to better the community.

The Finks were recognized for their “quiet service to their faith community and beyond,” and servicing the Our Lady of Lourdes parish in De Pere by aiding in maintaining grounds, working on technological infrastructure and performing committee work at the parish’s school.

They also organize other community work through the Abbot Pennings Knights of Columbus organization, and they’re heavily involved with the National Railroad Museum and the Christian Outreach Thrift Store in De Pere.

The Roses for the Living award was started Nov. 10, 1951 by Rotary president, Reuben M. Tetzlaff.

“[He] wanted to acknowledge and show appreciation to the ‘unsung heroes’ in our community,” said current president, Thomas Franken.

The club’s foundation

The Rotary Club of De Pere was founded to give back to the community through various acts of service.

The club works their 2023 Mid-Winter PopUp Booyah. Pictured from left: Gina Evans, Scott Baeten, Diane Dappern, Dave Stellpflug & Dave Reinardy. Submitted photo

“Locally, the [club] focuses on youth related activities ranging from direct support to sports programs and other extracurricular pastimes at the high school level, providing growth opportunities through our district’s Rotary Youth Leadership Camps and our financial support to high school seniors through our annual scholarship awards that has been ongoing since the late 1960s,” said Franken.

In addition to the Roses for the Living award, springtime contains many events for the Rotary Club including scholarship offerings; local community service efforts, such as litter pickup; and fundraisers, such as the De Pere Rotary & Chicago Street Pub Golf Outing hosted June 16 at the Ledgeview Golf Course and the Annual Pink Flamingo softball tournament held in July.

“Like other service clubs in our area we are always looking to bring in new members, and new ideas,” said Franken. “We have served the broader De Pere community for 97 years and it is our desire to build on that success, and to maintain a healthy and robust Rotary Club going forward, with the energy that a diverse membership brings to our efforts.”

Franken encourages those that are “keen on building friendships and staying connected to what is going on ‘in the neighborhood,’ and at the same time caring for the community and beyond” to consider checking out the rotary club.

The club meets every Monday at 6 p.m. at the Chicago Street Pub in De Pere.

For more information, visit www.depererotary.org or www.facebook.com/depererotary.

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