Champions for Peace Award Recipients
Your District 5495 Champion For Peace Award Recipients
The Champion for Peace Award was the result of much thought and planning in 2017-2018 about how to expand the emphasis and focus on Peace in our new Rotary District 5495. PDG Nancy Van Pelt and PDG Jim Green explored what a rich future of supporting Peace might look like. PDG Jim envisioned establishing an annual award that would recognize an individual Rotarian in our District for his or her long-term advocacy for peace. PDG Jim, who was also a leader in identifying, encouraging and promoting Rotary Peace Fellows, did not live to see the award bestowed upon its first recipient at the first District 5495 Peace Pre-Conference on May 31, 2018. Each year, PDG Jim and PDG Nancy are remembered at the awarding of this recognition.
2018 PDG Chuck Fitzgerald
Chuck has been described as a “long-time,
tireless warrior for peace” in Rotary, schools and
the community.
Chuck held the Peace summit for several years within the District bringing in speakers both in an out of Rotary to discuss Peace. He even held the only online virtual Peace Sumit during the pandemic.
He is credited with the phrase, "Every act of service is an act of peace." which is also featured on the podcast episode in the media section of this Peacebuilders website.
2019 PDG Kevin Pitts
Kevin fosters international goodwill and
friendship as a longtime organizer and point
of contact for the USA-Mexico Friendship
Conference and Global Grants Exchange.
2020 PDG Nancy Van Pelt
Nancy was the catalyst for PeaceBuilding Resources, an umbrella of initiatives and coillaborations that includes THE PeaceBuilders NETWORK, PeaceBuilder Clubs, Peace Fellowship nominations, The Champion For Peace Award, and the D5495 Peace Pre-Conferences.
2021 Tony Cerato
Tony serves as the Peace Fellowship Chair in THE PeaceBuilders NETWORK. Since 2018 he has educated Rotarians and community members about Peace Fellowships and endorsed five applicants. His longtime participation in numerous Rotary service projects has provided inner peace, comfort and hope to many.
2022 Dr. Ruth Tan Lim M.D.
Ruth, a passionate peacebuilder, has traveled to several countries participating in Global Grants providing medical care and assistance. She has planted Peace Poles throughout Arizona and overseas. In her community, she worked to make Mesa an International City of Peace.
2023 PDG Elizabeth Mahoney
Elizabeth serves to enhance education for
youth and Rotarians, continues to host Rotary
Exchange Students, has led groups of Interact
students as Ambassadors for Crutches for
Africa and Crutches for Mexico, and created
the Rotary Week of Service as District
Governor 2020-2021.
2024 PDG Craig Wilson
Craig is the consummate peacebuilder. He
has been involved in numerous water
projects in Kenya. As a longtime chair of the
Phoenix Rotary 100 International Outreach
Committee (IOC), Craig’s leadership has
resulted in the IOC being involved in many
global and district grants, as well as other
projects throughout the world addressing all
of Rotary’s 7 Areas of Focus.
2025 PDG Larry Horton
Larry was trained at Rotary International to be a Positive Peace Activator in a Rotary partnership with Institute for Economics & Peace (IEP) in the Fall of 2024. He brought the message of Positive Peace to our District and eventually became the Chair for the THE PeaceBuilders NETWORK. He is an Expert Hub contributor for Peace at the Zone level and has presented a Plenary session on Positive Peace at the Zone 26/27 Institute in 2025. He is also serving as his Rotary club's Peace Committee Team Lead.
2026 Dame Precious Proscovia RN
Dame Precious is a nurse and the CEO & Founder of Precious Kids Foundation located in Uganda, founded to combat the rampant premature deaths in Uganda’s rural communities. She is member of the Rotary Club of Chandler Horizon.
Precious started conducting massive medical camps in 2018 taking doctors and nurses to Uganda, proactively treating 4-5,000 patients every year since then, in 3-day medical camps, free of charge while also treating orphans who have cancer, educating them after they are medically stable in boarding schools, and empowering widows, single mothers, girls and boys for economic self sustainability with vocational skills training.