Mark Mason

The Rotarian of the Year award is presented to a deserving and active member of the Rotary Club of Truro who has provided outstanding service to the Club and to Rotary in the last year.  The 2016 recipient is Rotarian Mark Mason.

Mark joined the Rotary Club of Truro in 2005 and was sponsored by Brian Matthews. Mark has spent his working career in Adult Education and is currently the International Student Coordinator at the Dalhousie Faculty of Agriculture.

Over the past year Mark has been very busy in the Cub in numerous roles.  He was involved with the Rotary Youth Leadership Award conference (RYLA), the Community Yearbook project as well as with International programs and other projects for the Club. It is Mark's leadership of the Christmas Index Program this year, however, that the Club wishes to recognize.  

The Cobequid Children's First (CCF) Foundation approached the Rotary Club of Truro to take over the Christmas Index Program in 2015. The program  provides support in the form of toys, gifts and Christmas baskets to over 800 families in need.  The CCF Foundation subsequently came under the umbrella of the Rotary Club and Mark became the President of the new board in the late summer.

What happened over the next several months leading up to Christmas is what Rotarians do best; get actively involved in projects for the benefit of the community. The key to the success of any project however, is having a leader and for that person to have the willingness and ability to confidently step forward and get things done. Mark became that true leader and the cheerleader for the Christmas Index.  The Program transitioned smoothly and continued to  provided the support so greatly needed in our community at that time of year. 

This past year the Index provided toys and a food hamper from the food bank for over 110 families with over 200 children.

Mark Mason is truly deserving of the 2016 Rotarian of the Year Award.