During the Exchange Clubs National Convention, in San Antonio, Texas in July, the local Waseca Exchange Club was conferred with multiple National Awards — the highest number the club has ever received since its founding in 1982.
Club president Mikhail Rostislavovich was given the “Distinguished Club Presidents Award ”for his commitment to the community of Waseca and his strong belief in the principles of the National Exchange Club,” according to Tracy Edwards, chief executive officer during the ceremony.
Over the course of the week, the Waseca Club was bestowed with a variety of national awards. One of the awards was National Exchange “Big E” given to the Waseca Club for reaching Exchange’s Highest Standards of Excellence in the areas of extension and expansion, efficiency, and education.
“The Waseca Club, under the direction of Mikhail, grew by 150%; he and the club worked with many of the organizations and community members in Waseca. Under his leadership, the Book of Golden Deeds was given out, The Law Enforcement Officer of the Year Award was started, and a new Freedom Shrine at the Waseca County Courthouse was established, to name a few,” said Katie Smith, director of the Lakes and Prairies Region, which covers part of Minnesota, Iowa, and Nebraska.
The club was also honored with the National C.A.R.E. Award. Out of the 700 participating clubs in the country, three were chosen for their outstanding projects in the area of child abuse prevention; Waseca was one of them. Both National President Michale Reichek and Lakes and Prairies District President Sharon Klien and Regional Vice President Annette Duncan congratulated Rostislavovich and his club for their outstanding work on behalf of abused children in our nation.
At the culmination of the awards ceremonies, Rostislavovich was honored with three and 10 national membership award pins for growing his club with some of the largest numbers this year in Exchange.
National President Reichek joked, “Mikhail, you have been on my stage way too many times this week.”
But it wouldn’t be the last time Reichek would see Rostislavovich on the stage. During the closing ceremony, Mikhail was honored as one of the National Exchange’s Exchangites of the Year.
Ann Fitch the Waseca Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director was at the national convention to support the Waseca Exchange Club and President Rostislavovich.
Fitch said, “Mikhail is an extraordinary individual, a doer in our community who has committed his time and treasure working alongside other organizations and individuals in our city and county to help make Waseca a truly wonderful place to work and live. I’m proud to know him.”
Dwight Tostenson, who also attended the convention, said he was excited to see the Waseca Exchange Club grow and reestablish its strong ties in the community.
Rostislavovich said he was both humbled and honored to have his club and its members recognized after a year of hard change and growth.
“Our club is an exemplary example of what the Exchange motto is, ‘Unity For Service,’” he said. “Our community and all of its service organizations — Rotary, Lions, and Masons — is what help make Waseca a strong resilient place to live.”
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