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Rotary Club honors Memorial's Charles Giles

The Rotary Club of Niagara named Charles W. Giles, director of community advocacy at Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center, a Paul Harris Fellow during ceremonies held March 23 at the Niagara Falls Country Club.

The Paul Harris Fellowship recognizes people who demonstrate in their life and vocation a commitment to helping persons in need in their community and around the world. The Rotary honored Giles for more than 40 years of distinguished volunteer service to the Greater Niagara community.

A Brooklyn native who grew up in Center Court, Giles attended North Junior High School and graduated from Niagara Falls High School. He was drawn to community service by his interest in the civil right movement and spent several years working with C.O.R.E. (the Congress of Racial Equality) in Niagara Falls after he graduated from Morgan State University in 1965.

Through the years, he has served on the boards of the National Conference for Community and Justice, Niagara Community Center & Girls Club, Martha H. Beeman Child Guidance Center, Porta-Niagara Girls Club, Sheehan Memorial Hospital and Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center. He is a past chairman of the Niagara Falls Commission on Human Rights.

Giles is currently executive vice president of the Main Street Business & Professional Association and a trustee of the 1199 SEIU Pension Fund for Upstate New York. In addition, he serves on the boards of the Niagara Falls Chapter of the American Red Cross, Family & Children’s Service of Niagara and the Center City Neighborhood Development Corp., as well as on the Niagara Falls Weed & Seed Steering Committee.

After working for Niagara County Social Services, the Niagara Community Action Program and the United Way of Niagara, Charlie served a long and distinguished career as a human resources professional for the Carborundum Company, Buffalo General Hospital and Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center, where he retired as vice president of human resources in 2000.

He came out of retirement less than a year later to assume responsibilities as project director for Memorial’s Outreach for Wellness in Niagara (OWN) program, where his collaborative approach to working with other agencies improved access to health care for the medically underserved in our community.

Charlie was named Memorial’s director of community advocacy in February.