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In only five times in it’s 25 year history, the Woodinville Rotary Club has bestowed a rare award to a local resident. The Paul Harris Fellow is the highest honor bestowed on an individual within a Rotary club service area.
The Woodinville Club awarded it most recently to Gretchen Garth, founder of 21 Acres near Woodinville, acknowledging her civic endeavors.
The award was presented recently at a meeting of the 21 Acres board of directors attended by club President Greg Riggs and immediate past president John Hughes.
In 1994, Woodinville Rotary selected Garth as Citizen of the Year for her work in establishing and building the Teen Northshore program in Woodinville and throughout the Northshore school area.
“Gretchen offers us a clear vision how we must provide and sustain valuable food and shelter resources. She is determined that 21 Acres and its supporters continue to provide a living example of sustainable agriculture and serve as an educational centerpiece second to none in the United States,” the club’s announcement stated.
“We can all learn from Gretchen the importance of taking better care of our open spaces and of providing valuable opportunities to maximize the healthful, beneficial aspects of fresh, local produce and farm products,” said Hughes at the presentation. “It has not been an easy road to date. Her determination and steadfastness in the face of public doubt and groundbreaking challenges have been exemplary.”
Earlier this year Woodinville Rotary awarded Paul Harris Fellow recognition to Bernadette Bascom, founder of The Music Project at the Secondary Academy for Success (SAS), and to John Schmied, a Northshore science teacher whose work with Friends of the Hidden River was instrumental in developing the Brightwater Environmental Education Center.
Photo attached: The Paul Harris Fellow Award is presented to Gretchen Garth, 21 Acres founder, by Greg Riggs at left and John Hughes, right.
