This award was established in 1977, in memory of Dr. David B. Kagan, a long-time Pittsfield Rotarian and community citizen. The award is presented annually, and beginning in 1978, has been given to one female and one male from the Central Berkshire area to recognize volunteerism "above and beyond" the call of duty. The recipients represent the highest standards of the Judeo-Christian ethic, which is the basis of the award.

 

Each recipient receives a recognition plaque and in their honor a stipend in the amount of $200 is directed to the charity of their choice.  The Stipend for Mary will go to Service Net of the Berkshires and for Robert to the Jimmy Fund.

"As Ed & John mentioned, the Kagan Award goes to a Non Rotarian who exemplifies service above self in our community. It is with great pleasure that I introduce you to this year’s Kagan Award winner, Mary Morrison!

I had the please of meeting this years’ award winner several years ago when Vin basically told me that I was taking over the Interact coordinator for our club… Thanks Vin! 😊

In taking this role on Vin and I went to PHS and I was able to meet the Interact Students and Mary. I  was blow away by all she does. Getting to know Mary over the past few years, I have seen that not only is she dedicated to our Interact Students, but also our community as a whole. Mary Grew up in Peru, MA and graduated from Wahconah HS, where she participated in Interact as a student. While in HS, she participated in the American Red Cross Youth Leadership program and also the Leo Club (a youth Lions Club group). She is the daughter of Sue and Dave Morrison (here today) and engaged to her fiancé, Luke. Mary Morrison is now a passionate and dedicated math teacher at Pittsfield High School where she runs the Rotary Interact Club, is the Class Advisor for the PHS Class of 2024, and also runs Best Buddies which is a program that has students work with other students with disabilities to promote inclusion and helps with programs during the school day and after school activities. Mary is an also active member of the Portrait of a Graduate Team and the Instructional Leadership Team. The Portrait of a Graduate is cohort of Berkshire County high schools that are engaging in a community design process supporting deep research, stakeholder engagement, and discussion leading to a collective vision of what all high school students should know and be able to do by and beyond graduation. Mary truly enjoys volunteering and helping the community and she is incredibly grateful that she gets the opportunity to do this through service projects within the Interact Club at PHS. She has volunteered with her students at our Rotary Auctions, Feed My Sheep, Thanksgiving Angels, food drives, and many other local charitable events as well as volunteering with other programs within our community. One of her greatest passions is seeing her students help others.  The pride and joy on their faces after each volunteer event is what makes it all worth it to her. This year, she has helped in organizing a resource fair for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and with the help of her students, fundraised for the Elizabeth Freeman Center through a very successful walk a thon.  Mary looks forward to continuing to inspire her students to be changemakers and global citizens in not only our own community, but any community they become a part of after high school.

 

Mary’s Local charity/NFP of choice for her $200 donation: Service Net of the Berkshires.

 

 

After a long awaited election count, the winners are:

 

 

 

 

Welcome all to the Rotary Board of Directors!

 

 

Vin Marinaro will be the District Governor for the upcoming Rotary year (July 1, 2024-June 30, 2025), and to mark the occasion, the district is having an installation brunch for Vin on Sunday, June 23, at the Pittsfield Country Club. All of the presidents from the district will be present to be installed, too. Please register using the link from the District website: