The Rotary Club of Potsdam will honor Nancy Griffin of Colton with the Service Above Self Award and Michael Griffin of Colton as a Paul Harris Fellow at its annual dinner on Tuesday, June 8, at the Potsdam Town & Country Club. Taylor Robertson of Parishville will also be installed as 2021-2022 president at the event.
Nancy Griffin will be honored with the Service Above Self Award in recognition of her outstanding contributions to the Potsdam community.
Michael Griffin will be honored as a Paul Harris Fellow for his demonstrated commitment to the goals and purposes of Rotary and "in appreciation of their tangible assistance given for the furtherance of better understanding and friendly relations among peoples of the world."
All Rotarians; family, friends and colleagues of the honorees; and community members are invited to attend the dinner.
A social hour gets underway at 5:30 p.m. with dinner at 6 p.m.
Tickets are available by advance purchase only for $35 per person. Checks can be made out to “Potsdam Rotary” and sent to Potsdam Rotary, PO Box 912, Potsdam, NY 13676. Please note which entrée you would like: ribeye steak, chicken parmesan, fried haddock or pasta primavera. To pay online, go to potsdamrotary.org, click on "Donate," and select "(Optional) Use this donation for: Annual Dinner."
All reservations must be received by Tuesday, June 1. The latest New York State mask guidance will be followed. Dress will be business casual. Please call Taylor Robertson at 518-534-2863 with questions.
Nancy Griffin has worked for those in need in our area for more than 30 years. She has been significantly involved in the Potsdam Holiday Fund (PHF) since it formed in 1989 as a Kiwanis Club project, when she was founding secretary of the Potsdam Kiwanis Club. She has since seen the PHF through incorporation as a 501(c)(3) charity in 2003 and has served as both president and vice president. She assures that the PHF successfully raises the funds annually to serve about 200 families, including about 500 children, plus about 125 senior citizens, in Potsdam, Madrid, Hopkinton, Nicholville, Brasher Falls, Chase Mills, Fort Jackson, West Stockholm and Winthrop, each year. Griffin is also active on the St. Lawrence Health System Foundation board as secretary, and last year joined the board of the North Country Children's Museum, where she has taken on a key role in co-writing and leading the marketing for the Out and About in the North Country book fund-raiser project. Although not a Potsdam Rotarian, she has shown up to assist at many club activities since 1986. Griffin retired as a development officer from SUNY Potsdam in 2017, where she had worked for 34 years.
This is the third time that the club has honored Michael Griffin as a Paul Harris Fellow. A past president and longtime board member, he joined Rotary in 1986 and cochaired the Rotary District 7040 Conference in 2005. He currently chairs the community service committee and leads communications for the club. Griffin serves as vice chair of the Canton-Potsdam Hospital board, secretary of the Potsdam Holiday Fund board, and a member of the St. Lawrence Health System and the Bayside Cemetery Association boards. He retired as director of news & digital content services at Clarkson University in 2017, where he had served in various marketing and communication roles since 1986. Today, he is principal of Griffin Communications, performing consulting for regional institutions and businesses.