Leslie Carlisle Awarded RCB’s Highest Honor

Spain-Hickman Award Recipient Leslie Carlisle with RCB President Bruce Rogers and Past President Gordon Martin

During the July 17th meeting, Rotary Club of Birmingham (RCB) Past President Gordon Martin presented the Spain-Hickman Award for Distinguished Service to Rotarian Leslie Carlisle.

Each year, RCB selects one or more individuals who exemplify to an exceptional degree a commitment to the ideals of Rotary, and especially by their adherence to the tenets of the “Four-Way Test” in their personal life, vocational responsibilities, and community service, including service to the club.   

The Spain-Hickman Award for Distinguished Service is the club’s highest honor. It is named for Frank Spain and Roy Hickman, the two members of our club who served as Rotary International presidents. The club’s board selects the recipient, based on the recommendation from the Spain Hickman Award Committee.  

According to the Rotarian who nominated Carlisle, she “has worked tirelessly on Rotary projects for years.”  

Her commitment to service and building a better community is a model for all to aspire to emulate. Professionally, this Rotarian has served as an essential resource to guide philanthropic efforts in the greater Birmingham community.  

Carlisle has served as a dedicated leader in many community organizations, serving as chairwoman of The Women's Fund board of directors, working to address the unique barriers women in the workforce face, and leading the Lucile Beeson Trust Committee at Canterbury United Methodist Church, helping to ensure support for the needy elderly in Jefferson County. 

Carlisle joined RCB in 2000 and is a Paul Harris Fellow. She has served on the club’s board as a Director, Sergeant-at-Arms, VP of Community Service, VP of Club Service and was a valued member of the club foundation’s board of directors for many years. 

She served as a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar Counselor and she has served as Chair of the Club’s Preschool Learning Initiative since its inception in 2004. RCB established the initiative as a joint program with United Way’s Success By Six, with the goal of preparing 4-year-olds to learn to read prior to starting kindergarten in Birmingham City Schools. Carlisle has been a tireless champion for our Preschool Learning Initiative, helping children by equipping classrooms with interactive learning toys, well-trained teachers, and opportunities for increased parental involvement. 

Carlisle worked diligently to expand the program throughout the school system, helping to furnish 17 classrooms, train teachers, coach parents, establish a Resource Center, fund numerous age-appropriate playgrounds, provide thousands of children’s books, and support many programs encouraging early childhood education for Birmingham children.  

She has recruited club members to serve as classroom volunteers and provided essential feedback to enhance the program. To date, RCB has invested over $1 million in the Preschool Learning Initiative, guided by Carlisle’s remarkable Rotarian’s leadership.  

“We are proud of the progress made in Birmingham’s early childhood education and we are grateful for this Rotarian who truly lives the Rotary ideal of ‘Service Above Self,’” said Martin.