We are pleased to announce Tony Burke as the 2021-22 Ritz Rotarian of the Year!
Here is what his nominators had to say about Tony: Through his ongoing commitment to our club, the community and the Sioux 52 mentoring initiative, Tony has exemplified “service above self” and earned the respect of Rotarians throughout Sioux Falls. During his time on the board of directors, Tony guided our club through a process of identifying our “One Relevant It” to leverage our time, talent, and resources on a single initiative. Through an extensive and collaborative two-year process involving approximately 300 Downtown Rotarians, we chose to partner with the City of Sioux Falls and Helpline Center to launch the Sioux 52 mentoring initiative in January of 2020.
Since that time, Tony has chaired our club’s Sioux 52 Steering Committee which has successfully developed community relationships and connected businesses and non-profits along with mentors and mentees. Despite the challenges faced through the pandemic, he has been a champion in amplifying the importance of mentorship.
Tony served four two-year terms on the board and had the opportunity to serve as club President for in 2018-19. He has also held leadership positions within District 5610 and been actively involved at all levels within Rotary. In June 2022, he will represent our club at the Rotary International Conference in Houston, TX.
Tony strives daily to make himself and his community better, pushing Downtown Rotary beyond our comfort zone to achieve the next level of success. He is passionate, articulate and is leaving a lasting impact within our club and our community. This impact was recognized by Lutheran Social Services in May 2022 when Downtown Rotary was awarded the 2022 Community Partner Award for our mentoring initiative. Given Tony’s herculean effort in moving the mentoring initiative forward, it was only fitting that he was there to accept this honor on Downtown Rotary’s behalf."
Tony is living his life by the Four-Way Test, and we can’t think of a more deserving recipient of the Lawrence “Larry” Ritz Rotarian of the Year Award.