President Jaime Rowlette of the Brainerd Area Sertoma Club last month announced Greg Straka as the 2017 Sertoman of the Year.
Greg owns East Side Auto and has been an active member of the organization since 1990. He was the founder of the rose sale which was eventually passed on to the Morning Sertoma Club. After many years of helping with the Sertoma Mariucci Fiesta, which is an integral part of Confidence Learning Center's Annual Classic Fishing and Golf Tournament fundraiser, he took over the co-chair position in 2009. He wife Anita joined the club for the ceremony. He attends regional conventions and helps plan them.
Other activities include his involvement in Winter Wonderland. He built the entrance booth donating his labor to keep Sertomans warm on winter nights selling tickets. He is a familiar face on notoriously hard to fill spots-Christmas and New Year's Eve. He has also constructed many creative displays over the years. His behind the scenes activities include supplying wood to people who need it to keep warm and quietly working for countless projects.
His community projects include volunteering at the American Legion working the kitchen for events. He helped to remodel the kitchen/bar area. He is also an active member of the Elks and volunteers there frequently.
"His friends describe him as not soft spoken but certainly soft hearted," Sertoma reported in a news release. "He is very generous with the use of his facilities to help disadvantaged people with car repairs and purchases as well as assisting people looking for employment. His wonderful gift to find humor in most situations has been a big asset to his success. Sertoma is proud to acknowledge another one of its hardworking SERvice TO MANkind members."
