Pedersen, Cardarelle, Camp E honored with awards
Posted by Ann Platt on Apr 04, 2017
Monday evening, April 3, the City of Edina held the 38th annual Volunteer Awards Reception. This is an opportunity for organizations to recognize outstanding volunteers each year. The Edina Rotary Club recognized Gary Pedersen as Rotarian of the Year for his work on the International Service project in Escuintla, Guatemala.Also at the reception, Camp Enterprise was recognized with the Mayor’s Service To Youth Commendation. And the Mayor’s Outstanding Senior Commendation was awarded to Rotarian Frank Cardarelle, for serving as liaison for the Rotary Club of Edina and the Edina Historical Society for 48 years.
For more on the awards, click on the link below...
Gary Pedersen was given the Rotarian of the Year award at the event for his passion and dedication for the water filtration and sanitation project in Escuintla, Guatemala. Gary, a current member of the Edina Rotary Foundation Board and past International Service Director, visited clubs within our district to obtain their financial support. This multi-club involvement allowed the project to be awarded matching grants from both District 5950 and the Rotary International Foundation. This $308,000+ project will insure the people in this community will have clean water that is also safe. Gary just returned from Guatemala, where he visited the site and met with many of the community members who will be positively impacted by this project. 
The Mayor’s Commendation Awards were also presented. Our own Camp Enterprise was recognized with the Mayor’s Service To Youth Commendation. Camp E, sponsored by our club and the Edina Morningside Rotary Club, is a three-day camp for high schools students that is dedicated to the values of business entrepreneurship. Kip Peterson and Sam Thompson were recognized for their leadership of this event, which has an impact on more than 100 students from Rotary District 5950 and 5960 each year.
The Mayor’s Outstanding Senior Commendation was awarded to Rotarian Frank Cardarelle for connecting two Edina organizations for almost five decades! Frank was a charter member of the Historical Society back in 1969 and continues to be involved, including by serving as liaison between the Historical Society and our club for the past 48 years. Frank has often brought Historical Society funding requests forward to the Edina Rotary Foundation board, serving as a reliable link between the groups that has benefitted both incomparably. Congratulations to these Rotarians for the recognition of their "Service Above Self" accomplishments.
