Chuck Sawicki has experienced a lot in his 80-plus years on this planet.

 

He has seen many changes in his 46-year professional career as an executive in marketing, sales, and financial planning services. Companies he worked for merged or dissolved, coworkers came and went.
Amidst all that change was one constant – Rotary.

 

Officially, Chuck has been a Rotarian for 57 years but his association with the 117-year-old service organization began in childhood.

 

“My dad was a Rotarian when I was in high school. I couldn’t wait to get home for dinner on Wednesday nights when we discussed what he learned from the interesting speakers and programs,” Chuck said.

 

Chuck has been a Rotarian in 14 clubs that span eight districts. Some clubs had 400 members; others had 20. No matter the size, members were equally passionate about Rotary’s seven areas of focus – basic literacy and education; maternal and child health; peace and conflict resolution; disease prevention and control; water, sanitation and hygiene; community and economic development; and supporting the environment.

 

“I have loved being a Rotarian in each and every club,” he said.

 

Rotary serves its members and the community. Almost anyone can become a member, if they commit to the Rotary motto of “service above self.”

 

“The reason I love Rotary is you can learn something new at a meeting, the networking opportunities are fantastic, and we have about $3 billion to spend on service projects,” Chuck said.

 

Joining Rotary isn’t hard. One fills out an application, a current member endorses them, and the club board votes. Many members’ participation maxes out at attending meetings. Chuck encourages everyone to become a full-fledged Rotarian by serving on committees and volunteering for service projects.

 

Chuck’s first club was the Little Rock Rotary Club, at the time the fourth largest Rotary Club in the world. He distributed name badges at meetings and quickly met all the members.

 

“After my first year in my new management position, I was having dinner with the regional manager and a team of auditors. They were amazed how I was able to introduce them to local business and professional leaders,” he said.

 

Every Rotary club designs its service projects around its members’ interests and community’s needs.

 

Chuck is a certified mentor through SCORE, a nonprofit that gives free advice to business professionals. He has received numerous accolades for his work. He does not volunteer for accolades, but every award gives others an opportunity to share Chuck’s story and inspire others to follow his service-minded example.

 

“Chuck is the epitome of the Energizer Bunny,” Lou Davenport said when presenting Chuck with the Lancaster SCORE chapter’s 2016 Award for Excellence in Client Mentoring Services. “Chuck has never met a committee he wouldn’t join. He has never been presented with a task he wouldn’t tackle. He has never had a client where he did not throw himself wholeheartedly into helping that client live his dreams."

 

If Chuck is the Energizer Bunny as Davenport suggests, Rotary is his batteries.

 

Chuck is a realistic man who often bluntly tells others his “time is running out.” He hopes to inspire others to become active Rotarians, much like his father inspired him.

 

In 2005-2006, Chuck helped expand his Rotary Club from 52 to 70 members. Success doesn’t happen without planning, so he encourages other clubs to follow his club’s recipe for success: have meetings at a first-class location where the owner or manager is a committed Rotarian, appoint dynamic officers and lane chairs who will take their duties seriously, be visible in your community so your work energizes others.

 

“Rotary networking and learning became the force behind my professional advancement and understanding of the world,” he said.