July 22, 2005

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                      

To:       News Directors, Assignment Editors

From:    Michelle Mazzei, Associate Director of Communications, The National Exchange Club, 800/924-2643,           info@nationalexchangeclub.org, Web site: www.nationalexchangeclub.org

National Exchangite of the Year Announced; Simpsonville Resident Awarded

            When you hear the word “Exchangite,” who comes to mind? To the many lives she’s touched, that person is Doris Ash, the 2005 National Exchangite of the Year. Doris is a tireless worker whose focus is to grow and better Exchange, so that every day more lives can be helped through The National Exchange Club and the Prevention of Child Abuse.

            Doris not only gives to her club but to her entire district, chairing both the Youth of the Year/A.C.E. of the Year and the South Carolina District Healing Field project committees, as well as serving as a member of the nominating committee. She assisted her district in building a new club in Gastonia, North Carolina and is working to build a club in Greenwood, South Carolina as well. She is an invaluable mentor to the current district president and to the members of the clubs she has worked so hard to establish. Doris is always ready to assist Exchange and the people involved in any way she can.

            Doris is a vital part in the child abuse prevention projects conducted by her club. A great example is the Woodruff Road Exchange Club’s “Meth Lab Kids Backpack” project. This project will meet the immediate needs of children whose lives have been disrupted because their homes are actually methamphetamine labs. Under Doris’ leadership the Woodruff Road Exchange Club formed a community partnership with the Greenville Police Department, the Department of Social Services and several other organizations to provide backpacks to children taken from methamphetamine lab homes and placed in emergency protective custody. These backpacks include emergency personal items such as toothbrushes, hair combs and brushes, underwear, diapers, books and games.

            Doris is currently serving as a National Exchange Club Foundation Trustee and a Volunteer Field Representative. She is an active and successful member of Exchange and more than deserving of this distinguished award. With her soft voice and gentle manner, Doris not only teaches new Exchange members, but shows them, through her own efforts, what it means to be an Exchangite. So, the next time you hear the word “Exchangite,” think of Doris Ash.

            The National Exchangite of the Year Award is designed to recognize an outstanding Exchangite who personifies the high ideals of our organization. This prestigious award seeks to honor an exceptional member who is active in the organization through participation in recruitment/new club building efforts, club/district leadership positions, major club or district committees, projects or fundraisers. The award also seeks to recognize individuals who give countless hours of their time to volunteer and consistently display a positive attitude while doing so. 

            The National Exchange Club is a group of men and women working together to make our communities better places to live through programs of service in Americanism, Community Service, Youth Activities and its national project, the Prevention of Child Abuse. To date, the National Exchange Club’s efforts have helped more than 225,000 families and 300,000 children break the cycle of child abuse. The National Exchange Club’s goal is to become the premier service club in America by igniting the spirit of community service across the nation.

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