The Greater Paris Rotary Club is proud to recognize Stephanie Connot and David Cook as the July Rotarians of the Month.
 
Both of these Rotarians have proven Rotary's mantra of "service above self" in the month of July and in each of their contributions to the community. The Greater Paris Rotary Club was very active during the month of July in several programs of benefit to the community. Two of most mention were the very familiar Fourth of July Fireworks and the 25th Annual Tour de Paris Bicycle Rally. The July 4th Paris Fireworks were a joint effort between the Greater Paris Rotary Club and the Rotary Club of Paris to provide a traditional and exciting fireworks display for all of this area. Connot was the Chairperson for the event this year and was instrumental in the success of the display. She planned the event, helped with the fundraising that makes the show possible through the bucket brigade, and coordinated the setup of the American Flag on display as well as the skydivers who provided their unique mark on the event. Greater Paris Rotary President, Courtney Eudy, had this to say about Connot's work on this year's Fireworks Display. "Stephanie assembled a good team that worked on the fireworks committee. Many months were spent planning what turned out to be another great community event." The Tour de Paris is one of the area's largest events and one of our largest draws for outside visitors during the year. This year we had a record 871 riders and around 500 volunteers from our community involved in this years. Cook has been very instrumental in helping with Tour de Paris over the last several years. He was instrumental this year in assisting with the route change due to construction, signage for riders, and coordinating efforts and details with local law enforcement and TX DOT. He also recruited safety volunteers for the Downtown route that he helped to create, helped set up rest stop areas, sort supplies, and even was out picking up trash for the route. Becky Semple from the Chamber of Commerce, who was in charge of the Tour de Paris, described Dave as a "good-will ambassador for Paris. He has ridden many times in bicycle rallies in other cities passing out information on upcoming Tour de Paris events. [He] went so far as to glue the Eiffel Tower onto his helmet so it would stand out... and of course he got attention for Paris and our Tour de Paris bicycle rally!" Both of these individuals have displayed what the idea of being an Rotarian is all about. They have put their own selves to the test with the countless number of hours, phone calls, and "pep talks" they've made to inspire others to rally around these important events to Paris and the surrounding areas. Paris is lucky to have people like Stephanie Connot and David Cook in its midst. They truly do exemplify service above self.