Leaders in Service
2022-23 awards
The awards | Past honorees | Sponsorships | Our projects | Media | Nominations | For Rotarians only
An awards program and fundraiser
Sponsorships and tickets to our second annual award banquet on May 4, 2023 will benefit our club's local non-profit arm, the RCDW Foundation. At the banquet, we will honor three local leaders who have changed our community for the better.
About the awards
The Leaders in Service Awards will recognize top executives of enterprises in three categories -- business, non-profit and government -- who have helped their organizations contribute to improving our community and the world. We are asking for nominations from the public.
Criteria for these awards are that nominees 1) have held the top executive position in their organization, or its local branch, for three years or more; 2) have made outstanding contributions to the community in one or more of the Rotary Areas of Focus; 3) have led a life and business governed by the Rotary Four-Way Test; and 4) have demonstrated strong leadership skills including a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, personnel development and collaboration with other community leaders.
Elected officials are not eligible.
To propose honorees, please go to the nomination form.
Our 2022 honorees
From left: honorees Dr. Yousry Sayed, J.C. Lyle, and Chris Coudriet.
The first year's honorees, who were recognized on May 5, 2022, were Dr. Yousry Sayed, CEO of Quality Chemical Laboratories, in the private-sector category; J.C. Lyle, CEO of Wilmington Area Rebuilding Ministry, in the non-profit category; and Chris Coudriet, New Hanover County manager, in the government category.
About the fundraiser
Sponsors make tax-deductible contributions to the Wilmington Rotary Club's RCDW Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charitable institution. That foundation makes grants to support charitable projects in the Wilmington area, as well as contributing to global projects through our International Projects Committee. In return for their support for our foundation, sponsors get recognition, both at the awards banquet and in public media advertising, and tickets to the banquet.
Details of the May 4, 2023 awards banquet are being finalized, but we plan to present the awards during an event that includes a reception, dinner, excellent wines, background music, and other entertainment. Guests will receive a colorful commemorative program and we will show video interviews with each of the award recipients.
A keynote speaker will introduce the winners, each of whom will give a short acceptance speech.
Sponsorship levels are:
- Platinum: $10,000 (two tables + brand exposure and other event marketing)
- Gold: $5,000 (one table + brand exposure and event marketing)
- Silver: $2,500 (one table + brand exposure and event marketing)
- Friends of Rotary: $1,000 (four seats)
- Individual tickets: $150
To become a Leaders in Service sponsor, please complete the form below.
Where the money goes
Funds raised through the 2023 Leaders in Service awards will be allocated during the 2023-24 Rotary year, which begins July 1. To give an idea of how we use our financial resources, what follows is a partial list of projects and grant recipients the RCDW Foundation has supported during the past three years (2019-22).
- Long-term support for education and literacy in New Hanover County schools that serve high-poverty student bodies.
- Our club's long-term "Legacy Project" at Williston Middle School, supporting such needs as science, math and reading competitions; fitness programs for students; a clothing closet to help low-income students meet school uniform and "dress for success" goals; a school store; and other needed supplies and equipment.
- Nutrition assistance and a dental clinic for the families of low-income public school students.
- Cash awards each year for five outstanding rookie public-school teachers.
- Research to combat Alzheimer's disease.
- Training assistance dogs for people with disabilities
- Construction of a Habitat for Humanity house.
- International health, water supply, and economic development projects in Sierra Leone, Honduras, Guyana, Moldova and Ukraine.
For more on causes Wilmington Rotary Club supports, see Our Projects page.
Media coverage of Leaders in Service
Rotary Club President Dale Smith talks about Leaders in Service and the club in a Nov. 16, 2022 interview on Wilmington's WECT-TV6. Watch that interview now.
Before the first Leaders in Service awards, Dale Smith discussed the project in an interview on Wilmington radio stations WAAV-980 AM and WNCT-107.9 FM on Jan. 31, 2022. Listen to that interview, which begins shortly after the 1-hour, 18-minute mark.
Suggest honorees: Leaders in Service nomination form
The Leaders in Service awards begin with nominations from the public. Please use the form below to propose honorees for our next awards presentation. Here are answers to some common questions about the process.
- Whom should I nominate?
Nominate an exemplary CEO-level executive in the private, public, or nonprofit sector who exemplifies the Rotary Four-Way Test. The nominee will have demonstrated success in one of Rotary's seven Areas of Focus. - Why should I make a nomination?
This is your opportunity to recognize an outstanding leader — a colleague, a mentor, or someone you admire — and share his or her success story with the Wilmington Community. - How will the winner be chosen?
A committee of distinguished community leaders in and out of Rotary will screen the nominations and select the finalist in each award sector. - What do you want to see in the nomination?
Please provide factual descriptions of how the nominee had made a difference in any of the Rotary seven Areas of Focus. Keep the nomination clear and concise. - Can I provide back-up documentation?
Yes, but please no boilerplate resumes or press releases. You can include information about education, professional experience, and other awards. - When is the deadline?
Nominations will be accepted until January 15, 2023.
Become a sponsor for 2023
Our 2022 sponsors
2022 Friends of Rotary
- Big Sky Design
- Boney Décor
- Henry Brown
- Capital Nissan
- Classic Landscapes
- Coastal Beverage
- Community Foundation
- The Cotton Exchange
- Gates Psychological Services
- Highland Roofing
- McKinley Building
- Outdoor Illumination
- Parkway Volvo/Subaru/Hyundai
- Christopher Smith
- Sunrise Gardens
- Swain and Associates
- Tru Colors
- WHQR
- Bert Williams III
- Wilmington Machinery
