by Mel Rubenstein
contributing writer
Sometimes the closer you are to things, the harder it is to see them. This happened to me as a member of the Rotary Club of Dewitt.
Several years after I joined the club, Mark and Cheryl Matt became members. I did not know them, but it didn’t take long to see that they were among the most active members of the club. It took me too long before I realized that they should be featured in this Volunteer of the Month column.
Let me tell you what Rotary is. Rotary is an international service organization that brings together business and professional leaders to provide humanitarian services, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and to advance goodwill and peace around the world. There are 34,282 clubs worldwide, and 1.2 million members.
Mark Matt, a native of Syracuse, graduated from Brockport State College with a B.S. in economics and a Masters in higher education administration. After serving as an assistant dean of students at the college, Mark returned to Syracuse with his wife, Cheryl. He pursued further education in accounting at Le Moyne College and went into sales.
The last 17 years of his career he was the sales manager of a software company. During these years, Mark volunteered as a soccer coach in the Eastwood and F-M areas.
Cheryl Matt was born in Syracuse and attended Nottingham High School. She volunteered with her sorority sisters and was a summer counselor at Camp Goodwill in Chittenango.
Cheryl went to Brockport State College also. She earned a bachelor’s degree, double majoring in biology and speech communication and a Master’s degree in rhetoric, communication and public address. She taught at the college as a graduate assistant.
Sometime after Cheryl and Mark returned to Syracuse, Cheryl began her 25-year career with the U.S. Postal Service. She served as superintendent of Postal Operations in Fayetteville, the postmaster of Canastota, the postmaster of Baldwinsville and, her last ten years, the postmaster of Rome.
Mark and Cheryl are both from CNY, and both went to Brockport State College, yet didn’t know each other. So, how did they meet? When asked, Cheryl said; “Mark was one of my ex-boyfriend’s best friends.”
It worked out. Mark and Cheryl Matt have been married for 43 years.
The Matt’s started to volunteer together back in the 80’s. They both feel fortunate and think its everyone’s responsibility to give back to their community. They hope to make a difference and help make CNY a better place. They share a love of the outdoors and a true concern for the environment.
In the 80’s, they joined some local residents and founded the CNY Chapter of the Izaak Walton League of America. The mission of this conservation group is to conserve, restore and promote the sustainable use and enjoyment of our natural resources, including soil, air, woods, waters and wildlife.
Mark has served as president of the local chapter and president of the NYS chapter. He is currently the CNY Chapter treasurer while Cheryl is the CNY Chapter secretary.
Mark and Cheryl have also been heavily involved with Rotary for years. In 1994, while the postmaster in Canastota, Cheryl joined the Canastota Rotary Club. She served on the board of directors and as vice-president. She went on to join those Rotary clubs in the towns where she became the postmaster. Cheryl served as the president of the Baldwinsville Rotary, as a board member with the Rome Rotary Club and Dewitt Club, and recently, president of Dewitt Rotary.
After helping Cheryl with projects at her clubs, Mark thought; “It was time for me to join, because I wanted to make a difference, much like Cheryl was doing.” It didn’t take long for Mark to make his mark.
He joined the Fayetteville Manlius Rotary Club and soon became its president.
In 2010 Mark joined the Rotary Club of Dewitt and Cheryl followed suit in 2012. They both volunteer for many of the club’s projects, including serving food at the Samaritan Center, making up food boxes at the Christmas Bureau giveaway and various other service projects throughout the year.
One of their favorites is spearheading the six Red Cross Blood drives Dewitt Rotary co-sponsors with area churches each year. They contact potential donors, publicize the drives, recruit Rotarians to help out and work at the drives themselves. But they didn’t stop there.
Mark spent six years on DeWitt Rotary’s board and continues to serve as their foundation chair. He also got involved with Rotary District 7150, which consists of the 43 clubs throughout CNY. Mark is the current chairman of the District Foundation committee, which supports CNY Rotary projects through a grants program. The Foundation also raises money for Rotary International which transforms these financial gifts into service projects both close to home and around the world.
During the past 100 years the foundation has spent $3 billion on life-changing, sustainable projects, like eradicating polio worldwide.
Cheryl Matt served on the Dewitt Rotary Board of Directors and was recently president of Dewitt Rotary. She was an assistant governor, responsible for eight Syracuse area clubs and continues to serve as the membership chair of Dewitt Rotary. She is the current District Governor Nominee of District 7150.
When asked, both Mark and Cheryl said like other service organizations, Rotary’s biggest challenge is attracting younger members.
Rotary International has become more flexible in allowing clubs to accommodate the lifestyle and needs of younger, busy members of our communities.
“It’s one thing to get someone to join Rotary. It’s another to keep them engaged,” they said. “Dewitt Rotary is the largest Rotary Club in the Syracuse area, touting almost 80 members.”
Mark and Cheryl Matt have each received their club’s Rotarian of Excellence Award and several prestigious Paul Harris Fellow awards. These are given “in appreciation of tangible and significant assistance given for the furtherance of better understanding and friendly relations among peoples of the world.”
With all of this, the Matts still find time to enjoy other activities. Mark grows vegetables and flowers and Cheryl does wildlife photography. Together they enjoy walking, birding, fishing and the outdoors. But their greatest joy is spending time with their two children and seven grandchildren. Family really does come first.
The Matt’s live in the village of Fayetteville.
For information about CNY Chapter Izaak Walton League, visit Cnyiwla.org. For information about Dewitt Rotary, visit Dewittrotary.org.
To recommend someone with a stellar record of volunteering to be featured in this column contact Mel Rubenstein: [email protected] or 315-682-7162.
