The Rotary Club of Gainesville honored its Man and Woman of the Year Monday night.
Cathy Drerup and Glennis Barnes received the awards, which recognizes achievements, leadership, and service to the Gainesville and Hall County community within the last year as well as over the course of the individual’s lifetime. Honorees do not have to be members of the Rotary Club to receive the award.
Drerup was nominated for Woman of the Year by Carla Baker, who wrote in her nomination that Drerup has served in leadership roles in the nonprofit sector for over 45 years.
“Most notably she served nearly 20 years as executive director of Challenged Child and Friends (now Sisu), where she led a team of over 70 professionals, secured accreditation, managed multimillion-dollar budgets, and guided transformational growth,” Baker wrote in her nomination. “Her work extended beyond administration—she cultivated partnerships, strengthened boards, and ensured access to critical early intervention services for children with special needs.”…