Congratulations to Rotary District 5150 Rotarian of the Month for March 2022, Ollie Pattum from the Rotary Club of Foster City!
Friendly and engaging with a smile a mile wide, a firm handshake, and a laugh that makes you grin, Ollie Pattum radiates the joy of Rotary!
Since 1979, Ollie has been making a difference as a member of the Rotary Club of Foster City. For 42 years, he has been the “go to guy” when you need a task done or help with a project. No stranger to cooking, Ollie has taken the casual BBQ to new heights. Foster City Rotary’s motto, “The Club that Cooks!” was the result of Ollie’s many talents at the grill and in the kitchen.
Early on, Ollie got together with other Rotarians and began a cooking legacy that extends throughout our Rotary District and beyond... The famous OllieQue! Through their efforts the cooking crew not only provides delicious food for Foster City club members and others, but launched a fundraising venture that has raised thousands of dollars for scholarships and community outreach projects sponsored by the Rotary Club of Foster City.
Ollie served as Club President in 1994-95 and has been on numerous international humanitarian trips to Mexico, China, and most recently the Yurok Nation in Northern California, to deliver playgrounds and wheelchairs to those less fortunate.
While working (and after his retirement) as a big rig driver for UPS with a perfect driving record, Ollie applied his driving skills to hauling playground equipment and cooking crew trailers, and delivering donated ambulances and fire trucks to Mexico for various Rotary projects/grants. Prior to the COVID pandemic, Ollie and a crew of Foster City Rotarians and high school Interactors disassembled donated playground structures, then refurbished and relocated them to the Yurok Nation in Northern California as part of an international project. Ollie did the driving duties, hauling a trailer loaded with playground equipment, then participated in rebuilding and installing the playground for the Yurok children.
Ollie is always front and center when it comes to Foster City Rotary projects... labeling and distributing dictionaries to third graders; painting a park facility; repairing, and refurbishing donated bicycles; handling cooking crew duties (from menu selection, food procurement, prepping, cooking, serving and clean-up)...Ollie does it all.
He is a multiple Paul Harris Fellow and Major Donor to The Rotary Foundation as well as a Benefactor. He has served as a member of the Foster City Planning Commission (two terms as Chairman) and was selected for the Foster City Wall of Fame for his service to the community. As a husband, father and grandfather, Ollie lives his life in service to others. He has mentored others in his friendly “come alongside and let me show you how” manner. A Foster City member called Ollie, “the most dependable guy in the club!” He likes things done right! His kindness and genuine caring are evident in all situations. Ollie is a humble, gentle giant. He shies away from the limelight and directs praise to others, giving credit in his characteristic gentle way.
A list of his accomplishments would take pages, but here is a partial list of Ollie’s projects over the years: Foster City Art and Wine Festival, Concerts in the Park, Rib Fest, Diwali Festival, Spaghetti Feed and Bingo Night fundraiser, One Warm Coat, Interact Senior Ball, Rotary Peace Project, Bowl-a-thon, Dictionary Distribution, Hillbarn Project, Wine and Jazz, Boy Scout Picnics, Foster City Tree Lighting, Shoe Drive, Tree Planting, July 4th Pancake Breakfast, Yurok Playground Trips, Mazatlán Playground and Wheelchair Trips...
Ollie Pattum is the epitome of what it means to live the motto “Service Above Self!”
Once again, congratulations to Ollie Pattum from the Rotary Club of Foster City as our Rotary District 5150 Rotarian of the Month for March 2022!