The Derby-Shelton Rotary Club marked the passing of another successful Rotary year as the president’s gavel was passed to Sharon Herman as the club celebrated a remarkable year under the leadership of outgoing president Joe Shapiro. Prior to the start of the evening and after the program, the guests were entertained with the music of the Stardust Jazz Trio which included Joe and also his wife JoAnn who is also a very active club member. Joe started the evening with his “farewell” remarks – He’s not going anywhere – where he thanked all the members for a very active year of community engagement which helped to make both communities better places. He noted that not only did the club award grants of $18,000 and scholarships of $22,000 they participated in a wide variety of hands-on activities throughout the year. He then brought up members of his board of directors and committee chairs and presented them with plaques for their service.
Assistant District Governor Lucy Andrade who also happens to be Joe’s predecessor as Club president then recognized Joe for his tireless work and then presented him with a gavel, past presidents’ pin, and president’s chair which is a long-standing tradition for the club.
Then it was time for District Governor Stephanie Philips to take to the podium to firstly congratulate for all that it has done to enhance the communities of Derby and Shelton during the past year noting the incredible amount of activity for such a small group of dedicated Rotarians. She followed that up with the formal swearing in of incoming president Sharon Herman and wishing her the best for another successful Rotary year. Stepanie also swore in the new officers for 2026-2027.
Joe then came back for his last formal duty as president by passing the gavel to Sharon and presenting thank you plaques to his leadership team.
Sharon then completed the evening with her thoughts and plans for the upcoming year. The Stardust Trio then continued to entertain everyone.
Some pictures from the evening- you can hover over and image and press Control twice to enlarge a picture:
