The Terre Haute Rotary Club recently presented its annual Paul Harris Award to Gerri Varner for her life-long, volunteerism to help numerous local organizations.
The award is presented to a non Rotarian whose volunteer efforts locally have improved quality of life, created recognition for this area and improved the lives of the less fortunate.
Varner was honored for her tireless volunteer work on behalf of at least 12 organizations ranging from Riverscape to Trees, Inc., 100+ Women Who Care and Meals on Wheels. As a board member of Riverscape, Varner led efforts to create Moonlight on the Wabash, a highly successful fundraising event to create interest in the Wabash River as an active, valuable waterfront for the community. She has also been involved in Riverscape's Explore Wabashiki event and she coordinated a flower garden project to help beautify Fairbanks Park with the help of the City of Terre Haute and local garden groups.
Varner was also honored for her work to help improve the city's urban forest through her involvement with Trees, Inc., and her leadership as past president of the Community Theatre of Terre Haute. As the emeritus president of P.E.O., Varner has been a leader in providing new opportunities for women through scholarships and mentoring. She has also volunteered with the Citizens for Better Government, the Vigo County Historical Museum, and the Swope Art Gallery.
The award is named for Paul Harris, who in 1905 founded the first Rotary club in Chicago. Rotary International now consists of 46,000 clubs with 1.4 million members. The Terre Haute Rotary Club is the oldest service club in Terre Haute and the second oldest Rotary Club in Indiana.