Welcome
It's time for another Meet A Member of the Liberty NY Rotary Club. If there was an award for best attendance for Rotary meetings in the past year, Dan Parkhurst would certainly be in the conversation, even though he now lives in the beautiful state of Tennessee.
Dan certainly demonstrates "service above self" not only through his work in our club, but also as a veteran who has served our country. We thank him for his service and are so glad he's a part of this club. Here is his Rotary story!
"My name is Daniel Parkhurst. I am a retired Sergeant for the NY State Department of Corrections as well as a Retired Navy Master Chief Petty Officer. I am married to my beautiful Wife, Anita Parkhurst and have three wonderful children, Eric, Rachel and Dana and two beautiful Grandchildren, Emma and Austin.
"I joined Rotary in 2007 (to the best of my recollection) after being recruited by Gary and Judy Siegel. What inspired me to join Rotary was the love, kindness and support for my family while I was deployed to Iraq. Many members of the club kind of adopted my family while I was away and included them in many events, always checking in on them to make sure they were okay and had everything they needed. For that, I will be forever in their debt.
"As a member of Liberty Rotary, I developed a passion for the Rotary Foundation, realizing that without Foundation funding, our Rotary Club was limited in the help and support we could provide to those in need throughout the world. I also took interest in EREY (Every Rotarian, Every Year) and led the effort to collect donations from members to ensure maximum participation in this program.
"I served as President of the Liberty Rotary Club twice and served a term as Assistant District Governor for Rotary District 7210. I also served on District 7210 Foundation Committee.
"I have always enjoyed participating in our Spirit, Beer and Wine tasting event to raise funds for our Scholarship Program. I was pleased when this event was dedicated to fellow Rotarian Dave Thomson upon his untimely passing, as I considered him a mentor during my tenure as a Rotarian.
"In 2017, my Granddaughter was born and my wife and I decided to move to Tennessee to be closer to her and to help care for her. I looked in to joining a Rotary Club here in Tennessee but all of the nearby clubs were either breakfast clubs or lunch clubs. Because I work during the day, I was not able to make meetings.
"In 2020, I was approached by then President Gary Siegel who was convinced there was a way I could once again become a Liberty Rotarian. By the use of modern technology, I am now able to attend weekly Liberty Rotary Meetings and other events. I am very pleased to once again be associated with such a great group of caring people who do great things for so many people, in so many places throughout the world."
