Almost 200 guests honored Fountain Valley resident John Etheridge at the 8th annual Fountain Valley Rotary Club Ed Arnold Volunteer of the Year Service Awards dinner.
The event was held Sept. 21 at the Center at Founders Village.
Etheridge is a longtime member of both the Fountain Valley and Huntington Beach Kiwanis Clubs. He has also served on the Fountain Valley Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, volunteered with the Fountain Valley Community Foundation, FVHS Boosters and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Huntington Valley.
The evening featured dinner, a silent auction and the announcement of several scholarships that were handed out to youth volunteers. This year’s emcee was David Truong, owner of Mimi’s Jewelry, and a past recipient of the Ed Arnold Volunteer of the Year Award.
Other previous recipients of the award include Alex A. Accetta, Dave Osborn, Susan Saurastri, Cheryl Brothers, Connie Wadsley and Ed Arnold.
Among those on hand to honor Etheridge were U.S. Representative Michelle Steel, State Senator Janet Nguyen, Fountain Valley Mayor Glenn Grandis and Ed Arnold.
The event opened with a message from the current Rotary Club President and FV City Councilman Jim Cunneen. Several Rotary Club members also briefly spoke about some of the many projects the club supports. Rotary District 5320 Gov. Chris Skorina was also on hand for the event.
Three outstanding students who have performed significant volunteer work also were awarded scholarships that were sponsored by the Kelly Osborn Memorial Fund and Ed and Dixie Arnold.
The evening concluded with a silent auction and opportunity drawing. All the auction items and opportunity drawing prizes were donated by local businesses and Rotarians.
This yearly event has become a mainstay of the Fountain Valley community and serves as the only fundraiser that the Rotary Club puts on each year. This year’s event raised $15,000 in net proceeds.
The Fountain Valley Rotary Club supports various local organizations, including Robyne’s Nest, the Fountain Valley Community Foundation, Boys and Girls Clubs of Huntington Valley, Fountain Valley Schools Foundation.
The Rotary Club also supports the Fountain Valley School District through its monthly Most Improved Student Awards, annual Every Student Succeeding Breakfast and Teacher of the Year Breakfast. Twice a year, the club collects donations of furniture, household items and baby items for the Marine families at Camp Pendleton.
The Fountain Valley Rotary Club is one of more than 36,000 Rotary Clubs in more than 160 countries worldwide. Currently, Rotary boasts 1.4 million members.