5 WOMEN HONORED BY SUNRISE ROTARY WITH PAUL HARRIS AWARD

By Miriam Raftery

May 28,2015 (Spring Valley)—The La Mesa Sunrise Rotary  Club honored five local women with its Paul Harris award, named for Rotary Club's founder.  The awards, presented at Noah Homes in Spring Valley On May 17^th, were presented for outstanding community service to Supervisor Dianne Jacob, retired Grossmont College administrator Eve Lill, Noah Homes CEO Molly Nocon, Water for Children Africa executive director Vickie Butcher, and Jazzercise entrepreneur Susan Shofner.

The tea included catering of delicacies by Aubrey Rose Team Room in La Mesa , a display of vintage museum-quality dolls by Gail Pogue, and china place settings loaned by Rotary Club members.

Supervisor Dianne Jacob (photo, left, with Clara Harris),  now serving her sixth term representing East County, has earned her reputation as a fighter,” said Clara Harris, who nominated Jacob for the award.  That includes fighting for funds for her district, transforming a patchwork of fire departments into a regional fire authority, posting information on sex offenders online, leading efforts to create new trails and parks, and more.  “She has fought to do the right thing, evfen if it’s not the popular thing,” Harris said of Jacob, who has also received awards from law enforcement and environmental groups.  Jacob stated, “One thing my parents taught is is that every job you have in life is important because our job is to do the very best we can do, in serving you.”

Eve Lill was born in the Depression and attended college on an athletics scholarship, later becoming a Physical Education teacher and Chair of Grossmont’s P.E. department as well as Dean of Business and Vocational Education and Vice President of Instruction.  She started a ski team at the college and created what’s known as Lill’s Hill, was also instrumental in building a children’s center.  Lill praised those who helped her along the journey, noting, “I set sail at an early age and throughout my voyage, there have been people along the way who filled the wind in my sails.”

Award-winner Vickie Butcher (photo, right, in gold, with family) was described as a “powerhouse” for community activism locally and across the world.  She read off an impressive list of Butcher’s achievements, which range from helping bring water to children in Africa through the nonprofit that she runs to organizing an annual African trade fair to graduating from law school after the birth of her fifth child.  She also served 12 years on El Cajon’s Planning Commission, ran for Congress, owned a bookstore and much more.

Molly Nocon has been CEO of Noah Homes for 17 years. Her brother, Herb, was a resident here for many years and she saw the “love and care” provided to him.  She has helped raise community awareness of the care facility, and started youth clubs at high schools to support Noah Homes.  She spoke on the need for more attention toward the growing number of disabled individuals with Alzheimer’s.  Nocon also leads a church choir at the San Diego Mission del Alcala. Also an active Rotary member since 1992, she recalls bringing her 3-day-old Shanonn to visit—still a club record for the youngest visitor.  

Susan Shofner has been a Jazzercise instructor for 35 years; the center she owns and runs in El Cajon is ranked among the top ten in the nation. She learned her work ethic working in her parents’ store before taking dance classes in schools and developing a life-long passion for music, movement and helping others.  A 15-year survivor of breast cancer, she has empowered both students and breast cancer survivors through community involvement which has included helping Cedar Fire survivors, serving Thanksgiving dinners to the homeless, and organizing a Dance for Life event on the U.S.S. Midway to raise money for breast cancer causes.  She noted that it hasn’t been many years since women could not choose to be whatever they want to be.  Shofner praised the women in the room, adding, “These people who surround me, they all lift us up.”

Sunrise Rotary Club has partnered with Noah Homes, host of the event, to create an orchard for the facility’s developmentally and intellectually disabled residents. The local Rotary group’s community activism also includes supporting anti-bullying programs, hot meals for the homeless, eye exams for those in need, and boxes of relief supplies to victims of natural disasters, said Rotary chapter president Fern Hall.

David Ballesteros explained that the Rotary was founded in Chicago in 1905, named for rotating its meeting places each time they assembled.  San Diego is where 500 governors in Rotary come for training each year, “so we have access to all the leadership in Rotary International,” he added.

The prestigious Paul Harris Award presented to the five women honored this year is open to all community activists, not only Rotary Club members. A Paul Harris medallion, pin and Rotary Club coin were presented to each of this year’s five remarkable honorees.