Rotary Club of Naperville Honors Community Leaders As Paul Harris Fellows
The recognition is named after the founder of Rotary International. In 1905, Harris formed the world's first service club, the Rotary Club of Chicago. Today Paul Harris Fellows' contributions to the Rotary Foundation support a wide range of humanitarian grants and educational programs throughout the world.
In addition to naming all new Rotary Club of Naperville members Paul Harris Fellows, the club also honored the following individuals with this special recognition:
• Ruth and Harris Fawell
• Dan Casey
• Tom O'Donnell
• Chris Heffernan
• Dr. Manu Vora
• Dr. Scott Berger
• Brook McDonald
• Jeff Gross
• Dan Iverson
• Paul Vandersteen
Each of these leaders has made significant contributions to our community.
Ruth Fawell
Ruth Johnson Fawell has played an important role in Naperville for over 40 years. A graduate of North Central College in 1952, she served School District 203 in various capacities from 1972 -1989, including chairing the Naperville Education Foundation.
She has served on the board of the Naperville Riverwalk commission, the Jeanine Nicarico literacy trust committee, and the advisory committee for the DuPage Children's Museum. Ruth was also a recipient of the City Bank Crystal Award, given to women for outstanding achievement in the category of community enhancement. She also was selected as an outstanding alumna from North Central College in 1997.
Ruth currently is active in the local PEO, an organization that provides support to youth and others in the community.
Harris Fawell
The Honorable Harris W. Fawell is a 1950 North Central College graduate and was selected as an outstanding alumni award winner in 1973. He received his law degree from Chicago-Kent College of Law in 1952 and practiced law for over 30 years from his offices in Naperville. Prior to his 1985 election to Congress for Illinois' 13th District, Fawell was a Republican member of the Illinois Senate from 1963 to 1977.
Rep. Fawell represented his constituents until he retired in 1999. While serving, he was responsible for passage of legislation promoting "servant leadership." Upon his retirement, he donated his public papers to North Central College, and the college established the Fawell Institute in his honor. He continues to be a life trustee of North Central College and is the epitome of a public servant always putting "Service above self."
Dan Casey
Dan Casey is best known in the community as the owner of Casey's Foods, which historically has been one of the most supportive businesses for not-for-profit organizations in town. Casey believes that if you assist local businesses and service organizations, you'll be assured of always living in a nice community. Casey is supportive of the Rotary Club of Naperville's signature fundraiser, Soup's On, and also serves as chairman of the Little Friends Board of Directors.
Tom O'Donnell
Tom O'Donnell has been an integral part of Naperville for almost 50 years. When he hears about a problem, he finds a way to fix it. Over the years, he has been a major contributor to Edward Hospital, Little Friends, Naperville Education Foundation, St. Patrick's Residence Home, and the University of Notre Dame. In 2002, he established the Donegal Family Foundation so that his daughters could continue his legacy of support. Through the foundation, O'Donnell has been able to contribute to scholarships for students at Benet Academy, Sts. Peter and Paul, Covenant Classical School, and All Saints Academy.
Chris Heffernan
As an instructional leader at Jefferson Junior High School, Heffernan leads seventh grade students to examine the global water crisis and teaches them service above self by working as community contributors consciously raising funds to help their peers around the world. For the last two years, Chris has organized the "Walk for Water" to simulate what many women and children in other parts of the world do multiple times a day to access water. Working through H2O for Life for Schools, last year his students picked Gakui Primary School in Kenya, a school that needed $2500 to develop a safe drinking-water source, a hand-washing station, and sanitary latrines. The walk raised over $2900!
This year the group has partnered with two other junior highs and set a higher fundraising goal to have a greater impact on communities around the world.
Dr. Manu Vora
Dr. Manu Vora (PhD) is a resident of Naperville and very active in community and civic service. Since 1989, he has served as the founding director and president of the Blind Foundation for India (BFI). Since 1991, BFI has raised over $3.5 million to perform 95,000 free cataract operations, donated 83 mobile vans for conducting eye camps, and distributed 9,500 Braille kits to blind children.
Vora also served as a chair of "Save the Children Holiday Fund Drive" at AT&T Bell Laboratories/Lucent Technologies from 1986 through 1999, sponsoring 52 children in 19 countries around the world.
Dr. Scott Berger
Gastroenterologist and co-founder of Suburban Gastroenterology, Ltd. and Midwest Endoscopy Center, Dr. Berger is a highly regarded surgeon affiliated with Edward Hospital. His practice is dedicated to improving the human condition through the early identification and treatment of gastrointestinal diseases. In addition, Dr. Berger has shown leadership as medical staff president for Edward Hospital and also as president of the Edward Foundation Board of Directors. Under his leadership, the hospital's foundation has generated funding for nursing scholarships, scholarships for student volunteers, and funds to facilitate the acquisition of sophisticated medical equipment for the hospital. Dr. Berger is one of those people who quietly work the improvement of medical services in the community.
Brook McDonald
Since 1996, McDonald has served as the president and chief executive officer for The Conservation Foundation, a private not-for-profit land and watershed conservation group based in Naperville. Under McDonald's leadership, The Conservation Foundation has organized 12 successful referenda campaigns that have raised more than $750 million, preserving more than 32,000 of land in DuPage, Kane, Kendall, Will and DeKalb counties.
McDonald has also been involved in protecting the DuPage River since 1989, chairing the DuPage River Coalition and the DuPage River Watershed Ecosystem Partnership. He also serves on numerous boards and commissions that align with his vocational calling to conserve and protect open space and clean water.
In 2007, McDonald was named as one of the top ten most influential environmentalists in DuPage County by the Daily Herald, and, in 2010, he was named a Lincoln Land Legend by the Dollars for Scholars Program in Springfield for being a role model for youth. In 2015, he was honored by the West Suburban Philanthropic Network as Nonprofit Executive of the Year.
Jeff Gross
Gross has selflessly given countless hours of service to the Indian Prairie District of the Boy Scouts of America. Through his leadership over the last 16 years, hundreds of boys have earned the rank of Eagle Scout and thousands of hours of service have been provided back to the Naperville community.
As a father, scoutmaster, district volunteer, and most recently as chairman to the Indian Prairie District, Gross has truly shown all who work with him the true meaning of
service above self. Working with area school leaders, scouting volunteers, and the youth themselves, Jeff has provided the motivation and guidance to grow scouting and thus give the youth of our community an opportunity to learn skills that will benefit them for a lifetime.
Dan Iverson
Coach Iverson has had a tremendous impact on the development of the girls on his cross country team during their very important high school years at Naperville North. He teaches his athletes that every single runner, regardless of her place, can make the team better by being the best she can be. Iverson also teaches the girls the important life skill of learning to control what can be controlled and to not fret about things they cannot control.
Iverson's wise words are applied not just to running, but to life. He teaches what "team" really means, how to lead by example, and most importantly, that each girl's best is always good enough. Like any great visionary, he sees in his athletes what they are capable of doing, long before they see the potential in themselves.
Paul Vandersteen
Annually, Vandersteen leads approximately 150 boys as coach of Neuqua Valley's cross country program. He asks all the boys to "Make a commitment to excellence in everything we do." Regardless of ability, because it is a no-cut sport, all interested boys are included and taught life and leadership lessons.
While the cross-country team has extraordinary success on the course, Vandersteen's bigger accomplishment is off the course. Talk to the parent of any Neuqua Valley's cross country runner, and they will tell you that Paul helps transform their boys into men via the discipline and respect he instills through the program.
The Rotary Club of Naperville
The Rotary Club of Naperville is a member of Rotary International and is part of over 34,000 Rotary Clubs in more than 200 countries with 1.2 million members worldwide. The local club was founded in March 31, 1941 with 15 members. Today, membership includes local men and women who are leaders in the fields of business, education, religion, and government. Rotary promotes the highest ethical standards, service to others, and helps build goodwill and peace throughout the world.
The Rotary Club of Naperville meets on Thursdays at 12:15 p.m. at the Meson Sabika Pavillion at 1025 W. Aurora Avenue. To learn more about membership in the Rotary Club of Naperville, its Freedom 5K and 2 Mile Walk fundraiser on July 11, or its final Soup's On! fundraiser on October 18, please visit www.napervillerotary.com