Brent Fatzinger: Names in the News

His name may sound a little familiar to our Patch readers.

Brent Fatzinger — he recently stepped into the role of president of the North Canton Rotary Club and has chaired the committee that puts on the at the .

He's also talked to North Canton Patch before about .

Now's your chance to learn a little more about Fatzinger in this new North Canton Patch feature, "Names in the News." 

North Canton Patch: What motivated you to get involved in the Rotary Club?

Fatzinger: Ironically what got me involved with Rotary was simply someone asking me to join. I knew of Rotary from my experience in high school with exchange students. My sister was also an exchange student through the rotary when she was in high school. I also knew several Rotarians when I was a kid and I always admired them as community leaders.

North Canton Patch: Do you feel like the community, for the most part, understands what the Rotary Club is?

Fatzinger: I hope the community knows what the rotary club is about. Our slogan is "service above self." So our mission is clear. We want to serve our community, country and world in whatever way possible. The Rotary Club is a world leader in service. The polio eradication effort has been very visible. We also work hard to provide clean drinking water and educational opportunities throughout the world. This year the Rotary International president's theme is peace through service.

North Canton Patch: What do you hope to accomplish as president?

Fatzinger: One of my initiatives this year is to start up our . This is a fundraising program that offers to members of the North Canton community the opportunity to purchase an annual subscription for a flag to be put in their yard for six holidays throughout the year. We also plan to use the money from this program and our Chili Open to .

We are also looking to grow our membership but I want to focus on quality not necessarily quantity. I would rather add a few motivated and devoted members than large numbers of people who join just for the sake of joining. I also want to make the Rotary more visible in the community so I really appreciate the opportunity that the Patch has given to us to publicize our activities.

The main thing that I would like to achieve this year is to create an association in the mind of the community that the Rotary Club is the gold standard service organization for the community. If someone is in need or something needs to be done the Rotary should be the first organization that people come to for help.

North Canton Patch: How long have you lived in North Canton? What do you love most about the community? 

Fatzinger: I have only lived in North Canton for two years but I have been a member of the North Canton Rotary for over 10 years. I love North Canton for many reasons. The first is the school system and the second is the sense of community that is so strong here. There is great history in this community that I think all of us should be proud of. And, although the community faces challenges, there is no shortage of talented, creative and hard working people ready to lead the way to an awesome future.

North Canton Patch: What are key ways people can make a difference locally?

Fatzinger: I think the best way to make a difference locally is to take action when you see the need. When you see someone in need, don't assume someone else will help them. Take action yourself. If you see something that you think the community needs, take the initiative to make that addition. As I said before, I want the community of North Canton to associate community service with the North Canton Rotary and bring ideas and suggestions to us. After all, providing service above ourselves is what we are all about.

About this column: Have you ever heard of someone in the community who is in the news and said, "I want to know more about them?" Names In The News is our way to introduce you to the movers and shakers in the North Canton community.