Sub Zero Mission, Greg Wiesler honored by Willoughby Rotary
Jan. 31—When Greg Wiesler was told about being honored as the 2023 Rotary Distinguished Citizen of the Year, he said that he was blindsided.
Wiesler accepted the award at the Willoughby Rotary Awards luncheon Jan. 30 at La Vera Party Center. As much as he does not strive to get any, Wiesler appreciates the recognition, he said.
"It just gives me more impetus to continue what I've done over the years," he said.
According to Sue Roseum, Willoughby Rotary Awards Committee member, Wiesler is a foot soldier for service.
"He was embarrassed to talk about himself when I met with him and his wife, and didn't understand why he was selected," she recalled. "Greg told me he fell in love with Willoughby when he fell in love with his wife. After marrying, they bought a house in Willoughby in 1981 and started right away serving others in the community, and has been doing it ever since."
Wiesler, a painter who prefers to stay out of the limelight, finds it hard to say no. For the last 25 years, he has been serving as an eucharistic minister for Immaculate Conception Church, bringing communion to the sick and homebound who can't make it to church.
He has also served as a Little League coach, swim team volunteer, leader for both Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts and has worked numerous volunteer jobs at the Holden Arboretum.
Wiesler has also served as a tour guide during the Last Stop Willoughby festival and has led a group of volunteers over a four-year period to paint the school at Immaculate Conception.
"When the school merged with Mount Carmel, there was Greg," Roseum said. "He led a group of volunteers to paint the combined school. When the McKinley Community Outreach Center opened, Greg attended an informal meeting and immediately volunteered to be the 'lawn guy,' something he continues to do today."
Never looking for recognition, Wiesler said he prefers to do the work. His most recognizable contribution to Willoughby was the painting of the Kleifeld's sign.
"Anybody who knows downtown Willoughby, it's iconic," Roseum said. "Greg, along with their daughters and a family friend, painted the sign in 2012 and again in 2021. Greg told me that he hopes the next time it needs to be painted he can have his grandchildren join him."
When he is no longer able to volunteer, Wiesler hopes the younger generation will follow his lead. He wants to be able to say that he did the best he could for as long as he could.
"When you look at the objects of rotary, I think Greg reflects them," Roseum said.
Sub Zero Mission was also recognized at the luncheon and received the Civic Organization Award. Much like Wiesler, when Al Raddatz, founder and CEO, got the call regarding the award, his first instinct was to decline.
"Do it for the cause, not for the applause is our mantra," he said. "I thought about how I had been denying recognition, not to myself or my Board of Directors, as hard as they all work, but to the 83 passionate volunteers and employees who keep our mission moving forward."
In light of receiving the award, it has allowed Raddatz an opportunity to talk about something that he plans to talk about in some upcoming speaking engagements.
"Fourteen years ago, some friends and I had a discussion about how cold it was, how it was wrong there were so many people homeless and how it was wrong that so many were people who had served our country," Raddatz said. "I was blessed on the night of that conversation to have guys around me who were sick of waiting for somebody to do something. We decided on that first delivery night that we are somebody."
After going out and delivering to two veterans under a bridge in Painesville, the delivery grew by word of mouth. Since that time, Sub Zero Mission has delivered hats, coats, gloves, boots, sleeping bags and other warming items in six states and in more than 40 cities.
"I think that it is time that our country produce more people ready to be actionists because there is still just way too much talk," Raddatz said.
The oldest and most international service club, Rotary International was founded in 1907. It has a global network of business and professional leaders of 1.4 million members, 46,000 clubs in over 200 countries and territories. Founded in 1961, Willoughby Rotary holds 25 awards, including Willoughby Community Organization of the Year.
