(Canastota, NY – April 21, 2014) The Canastota Rotary Club is pleased to honor Mary Ann Mengucci and Gerald R. Gortner as the 2014 Recipients of the “Roses to the Living” award for their volunteer service. This award is given to individuals who have had a lifetime of volunteering and have exhibited the Rotary motto of “Service Above Self”.
Mengucci was employed at the Canastota Central Schools from 1969 until her retirement in 1996. Her retirement has been far from idle; instead it has been filled with volunteer service.
Mengucci has been part of the World War II Monument Committee and the 2010 Bi-Centennial Committee. She has received the Canastota PTA Life Member Award, the Canastota Alumni Achievement Award in 1997 and the Canastota Alumni Secretarial Award in 2005.
In 2011, she received the Immaculata Award for Service from the Catholic Diocese of Syracuse for her extraordinary volunteer work in parish ministry.
Mengucci volunteers at the Canastota Canal Town Museum, Canastota Kid’s Day, the Opportunity Shop and the Opportunity Shop Harvest Dinner, the Boxing Hall of Fame Luncheon, St. Agatha’s Senior Luncheon, the Canastota High School Senior Class Chicken BBQ and Senior Class Breakfast in conjunction with the Alumni Committee. She serves as a member of the Board of Director’s for the Opportunity Shop, is Co-Captain of the St. Agatha’s Bereavement Committee, and is a Parish greeter and adorer in the Adoration Chapel.
She has been a member of the Canastota Alumni Association since 1997 and has served as their President since 2000.
Mengucci is involved in the VFW Women’s Auxiliary, the Red Hat Society, the Catholic Daughter’s of the Americas, St. Agatha’s Altar-Rosary Society and the Wall of Distinction Organizational and Banquet Committee.
Gortner has had a lifetime of volunteerism beginning with his youth service in 4-H, the Farm Bureau and the Economics Club back in his native Ohio while attending Ohio State University.
After college, Gortner moved to Boston where he was a Charter Member of the Arlington Jaycees. A job move to Schenectady led him to become the Treasurer and President of the Schenectady Jaycees, before moving on to District President, National Director and Treasurer of the state organization. Next he became the New York State Jaycee President in 1975-76 and had the opportunity to meet with President Gerald Ford in the White House.
Locally, Gortner is a volunteer at his church, the United Church of Canastota and has served as their finance chairman. He is a past Director and past President of the Canastota Community Chest, Director for the Northern Madison County Development Corporation, past Director of the Mid York American Lung Association, past Director and Treasurer of Madison County RSVP, past President of the Canastota Rotary Club and current Board member of the Rotary Club, past Assistant Governor and past District Governor of Rotary District 7150 in 2005-06.
Gortner is Vice President of the New Yorker Condo Association, Vice President North Region of the Rotary Leadership Institute for North East America (NEA), responsible for Upstate New York and New England, past District 7150 Foundation Chair, and past Rotary Leadership Institute NEA Registrar.
Gortner has participated in three medical missions to Nicaragua with the United Methodist Church and was a member of the Canastota Chamber of Commerce and is a member of Canastota Canal Town. He is current chairman of the Nicaragua Golf Tournament at Kanon Valley, the prime fundraiser for the February 2015 Nicaragua Medical Mission trip.
For Rotary, Gortner is the Assistant Regional Rotary Foundation Coordinator for Rotary International, responsible for Upstate New York and Chair of the 2015 Presidents Elect Training Session that will be training more than 200 club Presidents in Upstate New York during March 2015.
Gortner retired from Ameriprise Financial Services the end of 2013 after 43 years as a financial advisor. During his years as a financial advisor he achieved The Million Dollar Round Table and continued his professionalism by continuing his education, achieving the Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU), Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC), and Certified Financial Planner (CFP). He is a member and Board Member of The Central New York Financial Planning Association (FPA) and a member of Financial Service Professionals (FSP).
Rotary invites the public to celebrate the contributions to the community that the honorees have made through their years of volunteer service at a dinner on Monday, May 19 at 6 p.m. at the Rusty Rail.
The dinner is $18 per person and reservations may be made through May 16 by calling Lori Torrey at 697-7450 or emailing her at ltorrey@oneidabank.com.