The Rotary Club of Potsdam will honor Chamil Perera and Romeyn Prescott, both of Potsdam, with the Paul Harris Award, and Emily Brouwer of Potsdam and Kate Mikel of Norwood with the Service Above Self Award, at its annual dinner on Wednesday, June 5, at the Elks Lodge, 10 Elm St. in Potsdam, N.Y.
Perera and Prescott will be honored as Paul Harris Fellows for their 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."
Brouwer and Mikel will be honored with the Service Above Self Award in recognition of their outstanding contributions to the Potsdam community.
Duane Pelkey will also be installed as 2019-2020 president at the event.
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. Dinner will be served at 6 p.m.
Tickets are available by advance purchase only for $30 per person. Checks can be made out to “Potsdam Rotary” and sent to Potsdam Rotary, PO Box 912, Potsdam, NY 13676. All reservations must be received by Friday, May 31. Please call Michael Griffin at 315-265-5584 with questions.
Chamil Perera, a graduate student at Clarkson University, has been a member of the Potsdam Rotary for three years. He has served on the Golf Tournament Committee and volunteered for Duck Plucks, Potsdam Holiday Fund, Fright Night books, the Wheelchair Challenge, every Dodge Pond Work Day and other events. Perera came to the United States in 2014 after completing his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering in Sri Lanka. He serves Clarkson's Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering as a graduate research assistant in the water group, while pursuing his doctoral degree studying sediment transport of rivers and coastal environments. Perera is also a musician, who has published four original songs on YouTube and performed live in Irish gigs, at clubs including McDuff's and at party events.
Romeyn Prescott is the director of academic computing and acting chief information officer at SUNY Potsdam, where he has worked since 1996. He serves on the Potsdam Rotary board of directors as secretary, on the board of the SUNY Potsdam Child Care Center and on the Potsdam Central School I. T. Committee. He was born and raised in Keeseville, N.Y., and attended Ausable Valley High School. He earned a bachelor of arts degree in English writing from SUNY Potsdam. He is married to Amanda Prescott and has two sons, Brady and Kyle. He enjoys spending time during the summer at his family camp on Lake Champlain, bowling, playing poker, playing the banjo, and wants to get back to golfing someday.
Emily Brouwer, a teacher at Potsdam Central’s A.A. Kingston Middle School, has been teaching French and Spanish in the North Country for more than 20 years. This year, she added Teaching English as a Second Language, while completing a certificate of advanced studies at Clarkson University. Brouwer has been advisor to her school's Rotary-sponsored InterAct Club, since joining the school nine years ago. InterAct students have regularly participated in volunteer opportunities in aid of the local community, as well as responding to the club’s mission of international action. Brouwer is a returned Peace Corps volunteer, having served in both Haiti and Cameroon. She is a board member of the Potsdam Holiday Fund and has been a trustee of the Potsdam Public Museum. Brouwer grew up in Potsdam, where she lives with her husband, Don Cannamela, and two children, Theo and Tess.
Kate Mikel is the associate director of the Student Success Center at Clarkson University, where she has worked for 21 years and provides academic skills coaching and oversees the campus tutoring program. She has been the volunteer coordinator for the Potsdam Area Salvation Army Red Kettle Campaign for more than 15 years. She is also a volunteer with Neighbors Helping Neighbors Community Outreach and serves on the board of directors of the Women's Leadership Initiative of the North Country. Mikel is advisor to a number of Clarkson student organizations, including Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity for over 15 years, the Tennis Club, the Make-A-Wish Club and Ultimate Frisbee. She is also a Zumba Instructor. Mikel is the wife of Gary Mikel and the mother of two college-age daughters, Allie and Abby.