The Rotary Club of Hudson held its annual awards and changing of the guard dinner at the Wine Mill on June 24, 2026, with members, spouses and friends in attendance. President Keith Viers thanked all for a significant year of change in programming, fundraising and community service. He implemented a revised Strategic Plan engaging various selected members in leadership roles.
Gale Kalb was inducted as the Club's new President for the 2026-2027 fiscal year and David Basil was elected to the important post of President of the Rotary Foundation Board. The Foundation has made over $1 million in community grants and college scholarships since its inception.
A new feature of bi-weekly Rotary Club meetings the past year was "Rotary on the Road" which provided educational visits to Peg's Gallery, Hudson Community Living, Ellsworth Meadows Golf Club, the Historic Log Cabin, HHS's Malson Athletic Center and the A/R Workshop.
Twice a month, at the regular Hudson Meadows meetings, guest speakers entertain and educated members regarding topics such as Hudson city projects, major league sports insights, charitable organization activities, local summer fun and HHS's student activities. The Club also scheduled "fun" outings including a Music from the Western Reserve concert, a Hudson Players performance and a picnic at Hudson Springs Park.
Participation in Community events and projects included building and maintaining a pollinator garden at Ellsworth Hills Elementary School, participating with a booth at the annual Biergarten weekend, exhibiting at Community Services Day, decorating a Rotary Christmas tree at the Barlow Barn and marching in the Memorial Day parade with Rotary scholarship winners.
In April 2026 the Rotary Club of Hudson was recognized with the prestigious Hudson Heritage Association award for restoration of the Log Cabin in downtown Huson. The Club raised $270,000 for this project. The site will continue as a Scouts meeting place, as the annual Santa-in-the-Cabin celebration for Hudson families and as an optional weekly meeting site for Rotary.
The Rotary Club enjoys a close association with Hudson High School students providing a monthly platform for the Service Learning class to update members regarding service activities and aspirations. Students also participate in Rotary's annual 4 Way Test speech contest and, additionally, can qualify for annual $3,000 college scholarships.
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LEADERSHIP AWARDS
This year's dinner meeting featured two annual awards for leadership in the community and the club.
The Jimmy Sutphin Award
Phil Tobin
The Jimmy Sutphin Award recognized Phil Tobin's extensive service to the Hudson community and the Rotary of Hudson club. The award is presented to a member who reflects exemplary dedication to the "Service Above Self" Rotary standard and who has made a significant impact on the Hudson community. The award is named for Jimmy "Inky" Sutphin universally loved by Hudson citizens benefiting by his communication skills and public empathy.
Phil Tobin has demonstrated commitment to community service throughout his life beginning as a trustee of the Cleveland's Federation for Community Planning dedicated to health and human services. He bacem the CFP/COO of the Cleveland Foundation implementing a donor advised fund. Phil and his son Tom started the American Endowment Foundation and in 2000, along with Bill Woolredge, founded the Hudson Community Foundation which has become a mainstay of our community. Phil has also served organizations including St Mary Catholic Church, Hudson Heritage Association, Hudson Library and the Hudson School District. He loves to encourage young people to participate in community service to enrich their own loves as well as others.
The Rotarian of the Year Award
Patrick Scherer
The Club's Rotarian of the Year was presented to Patrick Scherer, past president of the Club and of the Rotary Foundation. Pat is Chief Executive Officer of the Great Trail Council, Scouting America with 35 years of professional experience serving on five councils nationwide. He he held key positions focused on organizational leadership, program delivery and fundraising. He is a graduate of Leadership Akron.
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Recent new members of the Rotary Club of Hudson include Tom Dittoe, Cindy Camma and Kyle Brezovec. They bring backgrounds in nursing, marketing and software development. Kyle was recently elected to the Hudson City Council.
It is notable and a matter of pride that 24 active members have served the club and their community for more than 10 years providing solid direction and participation to both. Many of the following members are well known in the Hudson community: Joe Avella, Dave Basil, Mimi Becker, Kelly Brennan, Lynn Czup, James Field, Fr Joe Boysel, Dan Filburn, Bob Krampf, Elizabeth Kwolek, Jim Lang, Evan McCauley, Andy Morse, Alison Pfeister, Ben Rexroad, Kathryn Sines, Ed Sogan, Ron Strobl, Mike Swain, Phil Tobin, Tom Tobin, Rich Warfield, Bill Wooldredge and Jay Yard.
Think about joining us to enjoy our club and to embrace our many leadership activities. Membership details at www.rotaryhudson.org. Also on our website, you will find details regarding our September 17 Reverse Raffle to be held at Green Valley Brewing Company. Tickets for the drawing are available on the website. Proceeds will benefit local community projects and non-profits.