Local Rotary Club Honors Jackie Dalton for Service
The Waterville Rotary Club is proud to announce that Jackie Dalton has been named the 2026 Community Paul Harris Fellow, one of Rotary International’s highest recognitions for service and humanitarian impact. The Paul Harris Fellow honor celebrates individuals whose work exemplifies Rotary’s guiding principle of Service Above Self and who have made significant, positive contributions to their communities.
Established in 1957, the Paul Harris Fellowship recognizes those who demonstrate an exceptional commitment to service, leadership, and community betterment. Recipients are nominated by peers and selected for their sustained and meaningful impact on local or global causes.
Jackie Dalton’s lifelong dedication to strengthening community, supporting families, and lifting others through hands‑on service made her a standout nominee. As described in her biography, “volunteering wasn’t an activity, it was a way of life,” a value shaped early in her Maryland childhood and carried through decades of service in Central Maine.
Since moving to Winslow in 2006, Jackie has become deeply woven into the fabric of the region’s nonprofit and civic life. Her leadership with REM (Revitalizing the Energy in ME), where she now serves as Co-Director, reflects years of commitment to community building events including the REM Craft Fair, REM Awards, Mrs. Santa’s Workshop, and the Vintage Tea.
Her service extends across numerous organizations including Kennebec Messalonskee Trails, Friends of Maine Children’s Home, the Children’s Discovery Museum, United Way of Mid Maine, Waterville Main Street, Window Dressers, the Evening Sandwich Program, the Essentials Closet, and the Waterville Area Soup Kitchen Warming Center. Her nomination materials highlight her hands‑on service and her consistent willingness to step in wherever help is needed.
In recognition of her service, the Waterville Rotary Club is awarding five one-hundred-dollar gifts to organizations chosen by Jackie and reflective of her heart and her work. These organizations are REM, Waterville Area Soup Kitchen, First Congregational Church UCC Essentials Closet, Children’s Discovery Museum, and Kennebec Messalonskee Trails.
Jackie was formally honored on June 15 at the Waterville Rotary Club’s regular weekly meeting, where friends and family joined club members in celebrating her contributions. The presentation included background on the Paul Harris Fellowship, remarks about Jackie’s service, and a ceremonial pinning.
“Jackie’s lifelong commitment to strengthening community, lifting others, and leading with kindness makes her an extraordinary and deeply deserving recipient of this recognition,” said the Waterville Rotary Foundation Chair.
Waterville Rotary club takes an active role in many community projects and always invites others with the same service mindset to join them on a project or nominate a project. The best way to be involved is to become a member of the club. For more information, please email [email protected].
About Rotary
Rotary International brings together a global network of community leaders dedicated to tackling the world’s most pressing humanitarian challenges. We connect 1.4 million members from more than 46,000 Rotary clubs across the world. Their service improves lives both locally and internationally, from helping those in need in their own communities to working toward a polio-free world. Rotary values diversity and celebrates the contributions of people of all backgrounds, regardless of their age, ethnicity, race, color, abilities, religion, socioeconomic status, culture, sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity. Visit Rotary.org for more information.
About Rotary Club of Waterville
The Rotary Club of Waterville, on Facebook at Waterville Rotary Noon Club and Instagram at @waterville_rotary, welcomes new members who, as people of action, seek to volunteer their skills and resources to solve issues and address community needs. Information about becoming a member is available at www.watervillerotary.com or by attending the weekly meeting at Noon on Mondays at the Best Western Plus Hotel in Downtown Waterville, 375 Main Street Waterville, ME 04901. For more information email [email protected].