The Rotary Club of Jacksonville recently recognized Dominick York as the recipient of the inaugural Rotary Vocational Student of the Year Award. The award includes a $1,000 scholarship. Reg Ankrom, Chair of the Rotary Vocational Committee, presented the award at the club’s May 22 meeting.

Ankrom said, “In recognizing Dominick York as the Vocational Student of the Year, we congratulate him for his demonstrated commitment, effort, and promise in vocational learning.” York is a senior at Routt Catholic High School and is planning to prepare for a career in truck driving with a CDL license. His parents are Scott York and Michelle York.

The Rotary Club’s Vocational Student of the Month initiative, which began in December, is meant to affirm that vocation matters, that skill matters, that work done well matters, and that every person in our society, without exception, has something essential to contribute to the common good.

Ankrom continued, “Society often sends a quiet message, especially to young people, that vocational paths are somehow less important. That message is not only wrong; it is dangerous. Our initiative focuses on students, because students deserve and need encouragement and affirmation. When we recognize students pursuing vocational paths, we are telling them ‘you are an important part of the future and we need you.’”

More information about this topic can be obtained by contacting Ankrom at 217-779-2595.