The Rotary Club of Cleveland hosted their annual International Fellowship Day in Cleveland Ohio on April 11, 2013. The event featured the presentation of the International Service Award to Dan Hanson, Debbie Hanson and Pat Hanson of ClevelandPeople.Com.

Dan Hanson, Debbie Hanson and Pat Hanson

Mark Wipper, President of the Rotary Club of Cleveland led his fellow Rotarians in the welcome song "Hello" at the special International Fellowship Day meeting. He then called upon past Rotary International Director Mike Johns for a few words.

Dan Hanson and Mark Wipper

Mark Wipper, President of the Rotary Club of Cleveland gave a brief history of Rotary International, the world's first service organization and the work of the Rotary Club of Cleveland.

Ingrida Bublys, Past-President of the Rotary Club of Cleveland and Honorary Consul to Lithuania and Arnie de la Porte, Honorary Consul to the Netherlands, awarded the 2013 Rotary Club of Cleveland International Service Award to ClevelandPeople.Com and its founders Dan Hanson, Debbie Hanson and Pat Hanson.

"This award is being presented to ClevelandPeople.Com and its founders Dan Hanson, Deborah Hanson and Pat Hanson not only for their commitment to a better world and the furtherance of world understanding and peace but for their global vision in support of the international community of Greater Cleveland and the State of Ohio. ClevelandPeople.Com works to promote and celebrate the various ethnic and cultural people and events in the Cleveland area. Through text, video and pictures ClevelandPeople.Com is continuously compiling an archive of the numerous ethnic and cultural events that make Cleveland so unique.

Their involvement has grown beyond virtual in working on successful events such as:

One World Day in the Cleveland Cultural Gardens

The Cleveland Asian Festival

The Atrium Opening and other events at the Cleveland Museum of Art

Cleveland's 216th birthday party at Nautica

The visit of the Prime Minister of Ireland (first time to Cleveland)

The Cleveland International Hall of Fame which has become the must-attend event in the NEO ethnic/cultural calendar

and many more."

Ingrida Bublys

Ingrida Bublys, Honorary Consul General of the Republic of Lithuania, introduced Cleveland Mayor Frank G. Jackson at the Rotary Club of Cleveland at its annual International Fellowship Day. Mayor Jackson was there to honor the recipients of the 2013 International Service Award, ClevelandPeople.Com and its founders Dan Hanson, Debbie Hanson and Pat Hanson.

Mark Wipper, Mayor Frank Jackson and Ingrida Bublys

Cleveland Mayor Frank G. Jackson

Dan Hanson, Mark Wipper,
Cleveland Mayor Frank G. Jackson and Ingrida Bublys

Dan Hanson and Mayor Jackson

Dan Hanson, Mark Wipper, Cleveland Mayor Frank G. Jackson and Ingrida Bublys

Dan Hanson, Mark Wipper,
Cleveland Mayor Frank G. Jackson and Ingrida Bublys

Cleveland Mayor Frank G. Jackson with
Debbie, Pat and Dan Hanson

George Brown, representative of US Senator Rob Portman, read a personal letter to ClevelandPeople.Com and its founders Dan Hanson, Debbie Hanson and Pat Hanson. Senator Portman also had a flag flown over the US Capitol in their honor and George Brown presented it to Dan Hanson.

George Brown

Arnie de la Porte, Ingrida Bublys,
Dan Hanson and Richard Pollak

Joe Meissner and Gia Hoa Ryan of the Vietnamese Friendship Foundation along with Lebanese American leader Pierre Bejjani also honored ClevelandPeople.Com.

Pat, Debbie and Dan Hanson with Gia Hoa Ryan and Joe Meissner

Sheila Murphy Crawford, president of the Cleveland Cultural Garden Federation, honored ClevelandPeople.Com and its founders Dan Hanson, Debbie Hanson and Pat Hanson who were awarded the 2013 Rotary Club of Cleveland International Service Award.

Sheila Murphy Crawford

Pat, Debbie and Dan Hanson with Cleveland Cultural Garden officers Sheila Murphy Crawford, Anda Cook and Paul Burik

Ingrida Bublys, Past-President of the Rotary Club of Cleveland and Honorary Consul to Lithuania introduced Dan Hanson of ClevelandPeople.Com. Dan Hanson told how the award was special because of the respect they have for the Rotary and its mission.

Dan Hanson of ClevelandPeople.Com told a funny story about the ethnic diversity in Cleveland. The story involved Irish Catholics, Sikhs, Indians, African-Americans and Hispanics and displayed Cleveland's diversity.

Dan Hanson

Dan Hanson then told of the ethnic influence of his Irish and Austrian mother, his Polish father and his sisters and how he met Lithuanians, Slovenians, Croatians, Hungarians and more at St Joseph High School.

Dan Hanson

Lynne Stevens, Director of Community and Minority Affairs for Ohio and Governor John Kasich spoke at Rotary event and presented a proclamation from Governor Kasich and said that "we go to the website a lot."

Debbie, Pat and Dan Hanson with Lynn Stevens

Congratulations to Ingrida Bublys, Richard S. Pollak, Chair, International Service Committee, and all of the Cleveland Rotary for the 2013 International Fellowship Day event and congratulations to ClevelandPeople.Com and Dan, Debbie and Pat Hanson for a much-deserved award.

Enjoy these other images from the event.

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Pat Hanson and Mayor Frank Jackson

Chief Valarie McCall and Consul Michael Miller

August Pust and Debbie Hanson

Pledge of Allegiance

Ingrida Bublys and Dan Hanson

Mayor Frank Jackson, Chief Valarie McCall
and Debbie, Pat and Dan Hanson

Lute Harmon, Jim Dorazio and Dan Hanson

Cleveland Mayor Frank G. Jackson and Ingrida Bublys

Consul Manuel Lopez

Romas Bublys, Tom Mugridge, Mike Johns and Dan Hanson

Paramjit Singh, Michael Sreshta and Pierre Bejjani

Dan Hanson and Greg Polyak

Consul Arnie de la Porte (Netherlands),
Consul Sandra Morgan (UK) and Debbie Hanson

George Brown and Father Ralph Wiatrowski

Dan Hanson, Ingrida Bublys, Pat Hanson,
Mayor Frank Jackson and Debbie Hanson

Judy Wong and Dr. Vik Stankus

Gia Hoa Ryan and Pat Hanson

Debbie Hanson with Joan and Tom Atkian

Anne and John Mooney

Pat Mugridge with Frank and Laura Shewalter

Anita Kazarian, Debbie Hanson,
Pierre Bejjani and Harry Weller

Consul Manuel Lopez (Spain), Arnie de la Porte (Netherlands), Ingrida Bublys (Lithuania), Jure Zmauc (Slovenia), Michael Miller (Sweden) and Murat Gurer

FICA President Mona Alag

Dan Hanson, Paramjit Singh and Pat Hanson

Debbie Hanson, Pat Hanson and Dan Hanson with award