In honor of its 60th anniversary, the Rotary Club of Auburn received the first Auburn Proud award at its Aug. 9 meeting at the Auburn Golf Course.

The award recognizes individuals and groups in the community who contribute to the development of others and make Auburn a place to feel proud about.

The Rotary’s commitment to community service, professionalism and promotion of peace and goodwill are all part of the core values Auburn hopes to highlight with the award.

“Auburn’s greatest asset is our people,” said Mayor Nancy Backus, who presented the award to Rotary. “Auburn Proud honors those who take the steps to help their community, because the smallest actions can make the biggest differences.”

As part of the celebration, Dario Cugini, a charter Auburn Rotarian, shared a bit of Rotary history and reminded everyone that they should all try to make the community a better place. He ended with a challenge to the group to always think about what they can do to improve their community.

And holding true to its values, the Auburn Rotary, through the Rupert Giving Tree program, announced a $57,000 donation to the Auburn Food Bank to go toward the organization’s building fund, and noted that another donor has come forward with another $10,000 to add to the total.

“We would love to say we don’t need this,” said Auburn Food Bank Executive Director Debbie Christian. “But we do, and we promise to put your money to good use.”

Auburn’s Rotary, founded in 1957, has grown to include 65 members.

Rotary has established and maintained Rotary Park and is the main sponsor of the Les Gove Spray Park.

The organization also awards scholarships to Auburn School District seniors and Green River College students and participates in charities, locally and nationwide.

For more information about the Auburn Proud award, contact Kalyn Brady at kbrady@auburnwa.gov.