The Paul Harris Fellowship Award is one of the highest honours Rotary can bestow upon a person. Recipients are Rotarians and community professionals who are recognized for their outstanding contributions and for exemplifying the highest ideal in Rotary of placing “SERVICE ABOVE SELF.”  Our club is proud to recognize Robert Milburn with this prestigious award. 
 
 
Rotarian Helmuth Slisarenko both motivated this PHF award for Robert, and presented it to him with these beautiful words during the annual "Sunrise Celebration" fundraiser at the Sunrise Therapeutic and Riding Centre in Puslinch, on Sunday, June 23rd, 2024.
 
Good afternoon Sunrise Friends.
 
I'm here today on behalf of Rotary and specifically the Rotary Club of Guelph, which has been a longtime supporter and partner of Sunrise, helping to complete many significant projects over the years.
 
Various notable Rotarians, including The Ireland Family, Newt Clayton, and the Honourable William Winegard were donors and supporters of Sunrise.
 
Today, I have the honour to present a Paul Harris Fellow award on behalf of the Rotary Club of Guelph, and our sister club, the Rotary Club of Guelph South.
 
A Paul Harris Fellow is an award named after Paul Harris, the founder of Rotary in 1905. Rotary has grown to 34,000 clubs worldwide, with a membership of 1.4 million people, who in 2021 participated in volunteering 47 million hours of work, to fund $333 million in sustainable global service projects. The Paul Harris Fellow program was established in 1969 to raise funds for the Rotary Foundation, and in turn to recognize an individual for significant community, national, or international service; and who, as a dedicated and committed volunteer, has achieved one or more of the following:
  1. Improved the lives of disadvantaged people
  2. Given of their time and skills to improve the quality of life of others
  3. Displayed outstanding generosity with their skills and resources
Today, the Rotary Club of Guelph, and the Rotary Club of Guelph South, are honouring such an individual.
 
This individual is Robert Milburn, who has given freely of his time and talents as an auctioneer, performing over 500 community auctions, helping to raise several million dollars in support of many organizations, including for example: 
  • The Foundation of St. Joseph's Hospital, with the Taste of Guelph.
  • Guelph General Hospital, with Black Tie Bingo
  • The Rotary Club of Guelph, with Lobster Fest
  • And many more — including Sunrise!
Today, Robert Milburn will join the ranks of many notable figures who have been named Paul Harris Fellows, including US President Jimmy Carter, Russian President Boris Yeltsin, and polio vaccine developer, Jonas Salk.
 
I have a pin for you, Robert, that you can proudly wear. And a certificate that would look spectacular in your showroom.
 
Please come to the podium and accept this honour.
 
Thank you, Robert, for demonstrating “Service Above Self.”
 
Robert was completely taken aback by this gesture and well-kept secret, and deeply gratified to accept this Rotary honour, especially for it be presented to him by his long-time friend, Helmuth.
 
Our Rotary friend Ann Caine (founder of Sunrise and herself a recipient of a PHF from our club) added that Sunrise was deeply honoured to be the host location for this well-deserved Rotary presentation to Robert Milburn, who has willingly stepped up to donate his phenomenal skills for Guelph community events, for so many years. This year, Robert Milburn took the Sunrise Celebration Live Auction to a new level and helped Sunrise raise $132,000 which will go directly to support the many year-round programs at the farm, for children and adults with disabilities.
 
PHOTOS:
Helmuth awarding PHF to Robert Milburn
Robert with Helmuth and Shelley Adlington, Rotary Club of Guelph South president
Robert doing his thing as an auctioneer, and raising a ton of money for the charity