AMARILLO, Texas (KAMR/KCIT) – The Amarillo West Rotary announced it will honor Community Development Director Jason Riddlespurger with a Rotary International Paul Harris Fellow Award on Friday, in recognition of his community contributions and recent projects such as Transformation Park.

Organizers said that the event will be held on Friday at 12 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall at Polk Street Methodist Church.

“Our club chose Jason for his contribution to our community through his years of service as a liaison officer, but most recently his work to combat homelessness by creating a safe place for the homeless community through Transformation Park,” said Katt Massey, Immediate Past President of Amarillo West Rotary, “He sought input from other community members and his team to create a solution that will welcome all who are experiencing homelessness.”

As previously reported on MyHighPlains.com, the Transformation Park project was set in motion to provide a drop-in shelter, a day room, a community of pallet homes, and a commercial kitchen for people experiencing homelessness in the Amarillo area. Further, a goal of Transformation Park is to provide help toward permanent housing with case management, peer support, and partnerships with area agencies while providing low-barrier shelter and resources. It will also act as the new home of the Guyon Saunders Resource Center.

As explained by the Rotary, the Paul Harris Fellow recognition began in 1957 and acknowledges people who contribute, or who have contributions made in their name, of $1,000 to The Rotary Foundation. Multiple other notable figures in history have been named Paul Harris Fellows, including US President Jimmy Carter, Russian President Boris Yeltsin, US astronaut James Lovell, and polio vaccine developer Jonas Salk.

Further information and updates on Transformation Park can be found on its website.