CENTRALIA ROTARY HOSTS 42ND ANNUAL CIVIC LUNCHEON

The Centralia Rotary Club hosted an enormity of local groups and organizations at its 42nd Annual Rotary Civic Luncheon event, once again held at Calumet Street Christian Church.

The lunch featured a Thanksgiving-style meal catered by Cygan & Delaney Catering, an introduction from Rotarian DJ Justice, and an uplifting speech from Damon Harbison, President and CEO of SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital in Centralia and SSM Health Good Samaritan Hospital in Mt. Vernon.

Harbison, an Irvington native, spoke on the importance of community and volunteerism, and how his upbringing in the Greater Centralia Area helped prepare him to one day oversee two hospitals and a rural health network.

“It’s truly an honor to be here today and to speak about the power of community and volunteerism, and to reflect on something that I believe deeply - that community isn’t just where you live, or where you’re from. It’s how you live. In towns like ours, you grow up surrounded by people who show up. Whether it’s a neighbor helping with harvest, a parent coaching little league, or a volunteer organizing a fundraiser…that spirit of volunteerism shaped me long before I ever had the honor of serving as president of the hospital, I was born in.”

Harbison discussed his own career journey, from beginning his higher education with Kaskaskia College, starting his tenure with St. Mary’s Hospital, working in the radiologoy department, and eventually entering into administration. Harbison insisted, however, that none of that would have been possible without the lessons he learned during his upbringing.

“None of that would have happened without the grounding that I received by growing up in such a tight-knit rural community,” Harbison explained. “My upbringing met me where I was - a young man working in the hospital cafeteria just trying to find a way forward. KC gave me the education I needed, but my community gave me a purpose.”

The hospital president said he sees the same values that defined his career all around him, mentioning the ongoing developments in Centralia as a great example of community spirit and the things that are possible for those who possess it.

“Growth doesn’t just come from good investments; it comes from people.”