The Rotary Club of Vienna on April 17 continued its long tradition of honoring outstanding personnel at Vienna’s police, parks and recreation, and volunteer fire departments.
Rotarian George Creed bestowed its 2023 Rotarian M. Jane Seeman “Service Above Self” Awards during the club’s meeting at Westwood Country Club in Vienna. The awards are named in honor of the late Vienna mayor, a fellow Rotarian who died in 2014.
The awardees were:
– Vienna police Sgt. Peter Elias, a 38-year department veteran who now serves as a day-squad supervisor.
Elias regularly goes above and beyond the call of duty and has taken on many roles at the department over the years, department officials said in their nomination of him for the award.
“With each, his commitment to performing to the utmost of his ability can be seen,” they said.
For many years, Elias has overseen the department’s fitness program, providing advice for officers and keeping track of their progress.
“His commitment to staying in shape is contagious to new officers who have a long career ahead of them,” department leaders said. “Thanks to Pete, they’re getting off on the right start to stay healthy.”
Elias also for many years has been a supervisor of the department’s ceremonial honor guard. He sometimes has been the unit’s only member during difficult staffing times, but still represented the town of Vienna and its police department at many events. As staffing issues have receded, he has recruited several officers to join the honor guard.
Elias sets expectations and goals for his squad members and provides guidance and support when needed. He recently assumed the role of training new sergeants and sometimes has altered his schedule to provide hands-on training to sergeants assigned to night shifts.
– Joy Harrington, an administrative assistant II with the Vienna Parks and Recreation Department. She consistently has demonstrated an “unwavering commitment to her team, representing a remarkable blend of dedication, adaptability and positivity,” officials said.
Harrington has assumed roles and responsibilities far beyond her position’s requirements and proactively takes on tasks, from meeting scheduling to records maintenance, to increase operational efficiency and reduce the burden of all of the department’s divisions, they said.
“Throughout the expansion of her responsibilities, she remains an invaluable asset in customer service, providing prompt and accurate assistance to patrons, answering inquiries and effectively connecting them with the information they seek,” officials said.
Harrington is co-leader of Girl Scout Service Unit 50-10, where for the past three years she has coordinated the presentation of colors at Vienna’s Arbor Day celebration. She also helped organize a “World Thinking Day” that hosted 120 Girl Scouts from 32 troops.
For two years, she has taught Sunday School for children 5 to 10 years old at Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic Church.
A parent of two, Harrington also worked with Club Phoenix Teen Center to provide activities and games for students when Vienna Elementary School celebrated its 150th anniversary last year.
– Jessica Mesich, who joined the Vienna Volunteer Fire Department in 2011 and has served as an emergency medical technician (EMT) and ambulance officer and spent three years as an Emergency Medical Services captain.
Mesich could not attend the ceremony because she was resting between shifts at her job as an intensive-care-unit nurse.
Mesich last year logged 390 hours’ worth of volunteer time, more than triple the required 120 hours, and now serves on six administrative committees, five more than required.
She last year took on the demanding role of Bingo Committee chairman, which carries much responsibility because of state regulations. The bingo program is one of the department’s top two fund-raising fund-raising sources.
“Jesse exemplifies the Rotary Four-Way Test and is a model for the Service Above Self Award criteria,” Creed said. “The Vienna community, volunteers within the department and career personnel have all received tremendous benefits from Jesse’s selfless service.”
