John Griffiths has been awarded a Paul Harris Fellowship for the humanitarian aid he has given through a decade of pen-selling charity work. Photo by Bruce Munro.
Not only was he nominated for a Community Spirit award in last week's Dunedin Stars awards, Mr Griffiths was this week presented with a prestigious Paul Harris Fellowship by the Rotary Club of Dunedin North.
Named for Paul Harris, who founded the world's first Rotary Club in Chicago in 1905, the award is given to a person deemed to have upheld the Rotary motto ‘‘Service Above Self''.
Rotary Club of Dunedin North president Gaynor Haig said Mr Griffiths was a worthy recipient of the Paul Harris award, for his unswerving commitment to helping people in need in Dunedin.
‘‘He is a remarkable man,'' Mrs Haig said.
The award had been a ‘‘total surprise'', a delighted Mr Griffiths told The Star.
‘‘I just thought I was attending a Christmas function, so it was very nice to be given the award.''
A familiar figure at Dunedin supermarkets and public spaces, along with his wife Marilyn, Mr Griffiths has raised close to $180,000 in the past 10 years for the city's charitable organisations.
Mr Griffiths has raised a total of $90,000 for the Otago Community Hospice, $50,000 for the Otago SPCA, and $19,500 for the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Dunedin Hospital.
He is on track to exceed his target of $16,500 for this year's nominated charity, Heart Children Otago.
‘‘Since my retirement, I have been able to devote a lot more time to selling pens, so the fundraising has really taken off,'' Mr Griffiths said.
