Laos Project Update

Steve spent his career as co-owner of a mid sized computer company in Toronto.
He has served on several boards and committees in Port Hope including the
Municipal Culture Committee, Parks, Rec and Culture Committee, Skatepark
committee, Capitol Theatre Board of Directors and others. He has received two
civic awards, the latest for philanthropy and is a multiple Paul Harris award
recipient for his efforts (Port Hope, Whitby Sunrise, Ajax, Coquitlam Sunrise and
Beirut Cosmopolitan) and awarded the Spirit of Rotary award in 2016. In 2018, he
received the Family and Community Service award from the Rotary Club of
Courtice. His most recent significant award was the Bob Scott Disease Prevention
award from Rotary District 7070 in June 2020.
For the last 15 years Steve has served the rural villagers of Laos with the most
basic of needs for sustained life. Since 2009, Adopt A Village in Laos has
completed over 80 villages with filtered water one family at a time, serving over
40,000 rural villagers, constructed or repaired over 2 dozen permanent water
supplies, built dozens of toilet banks, 12 school construction projects and
continues to sponsor university students, feminine hygiene training and kits to
hundreds of secondary students, plus other special interest projects.
After the Beirut port explosion in 2020, Mr. Rutledge chaired the international
sponsoring partner club committee (Whitby Sunrise club) and raised
approximately $240,000 from 60 clubs towards a global grant to replace
operating theatre equipment for Beirut’s only public hospital. Steve is also
Foundation Chair, and a member of the International Committee at Whitby
Sunrise. He is also a member of the District 7070 Water and Sanitation
Committee.