FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The Rotary Club of Charlotte North
P. O. Box 37263
Charlotte, North Carolina 28237
Contact: Neil Brown, President at  (704) 333-1051
Charlotte North Rotary - Community Service Awards 

Each year, the Charlotte North Rotary Club honors a teacher, firefighter and officer for outstanding contribution's to the North Charlotte community, which generally incorporates the area covered by North Tryon, Eastway and University Divisions. The event is an opportunity for Rotary to honor and meet outstanding achievers, their families and their colleagues in these critical professions.

This year, the event on Monday February 19, 2007, honored the following people for outstanding service, leadership and commitment to their professions:

Standing from left to right: Officer Aaron Skipper. Ms. Catina Scott. Captain Luther "Trip" Fincher.

Officer Aaron Skipper. Officer Skipper is assigned to the Eastway Division and has been a Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Officer for three years. In 2006, Officer Skipper's hard work and commitment to his duties helped to reduce robberies in the Eastway Patrol Division by -36%. He alone is responsible for seizing 42 firearms, making 148 arrests, writing 110 citations, and responding to over 1800 calls for service. He patrols the streets of north Charlotte with a diligence that is second to none. His work and professional ethics serve as models for all officers, which is evidenced by the increased levels of engagement by his peers and his emergence as a leader within the Eastway Division and the CMPD.

Ms. Catina Scott. Ms. Scott is a sixth year second grade teacher at Shamrock Gardens Elementary School, and has been teaching over 10 years. She is a recent recipient of the Mary Frasier Scholarship from the National Association of Gifted Children, and her studies will help her further meet the needs of high ability students in Title I schools. She currently serves as a mentor for new teachers, after-school tutor, and cheerleading coach, and is a member of the Shamrock Gardens School Leadership Team. In her personal time, Ms. Scott serves as a Sunday-school teacher and is involved in her community's book club.

Captain Luther "Trip" Fincher. Captain Fincher, an eighteen-year veteran with the Charlotte Fire Department, is assigned to Fire Station 11, on West 28th Street. In addition to responding to fire and other emergency calls for service, Captain Fincher is responsible for the Urban Search and Rescue Truck for the entire department. The equipment he researches, obtains and maintains is highly specialized to meet a variety of rescue needs, including disaster situations. His work greatly helps the CFD meet its disaster preparedness responsibilities for the City of Charlotte. In addition to this work, he routinely has served as the point person to assist other firefighters in need, whether from illness or significant crisis. In these roles, he is considered a leader, mentor and friend to so many in the CFD family and the community at large.

The Charlotte North Rotary Club meets Mondays at 12:30pm at Byron's South End. Information about the club, and its activities, outreaches and membership is available through its website, www.charlottenorthrotaryclub.org.