Laos Water Project

Bio for Steve Rutledge

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.