Murrieta Rotary presents five Vocational Service Awards

The Rotary Club of Murrieta honored five community members with Vocational Service Awards at a Feb. 23 luncheon attended by local education, city, and health care leaders.

The Rotary Club of Murrieta presented five Vocational Service Awards at a luncheon on Monday, Feb. 23 at the Murrieta Community Center. The event was chaired by Murrieta Rotarian Mary Walters and featured Rotary District 5330 Governor Nyron Mclean, with Kirk Effinger serving as emcee. City, education, and health care leaders attended the annual awards luncheon. The awards honored individuals nominated by their agencies for distinguished vocational and community service during 2025. Event details: - The winners nominated by their agencies were Coley Candaele, Brandon Roach, Joseph Dai, Sarah Taylor, and Matt Schmidt. - Coley Candaele is a teacher and coach with 31 years in education, including 25 years at Murrieta Valley Unified School District, noted for mentoring students and building programs beyond the classroom. - Brandon Roach is a fire captain with 15 years of service who developed the department's Tiller Training program for its 100-foot tiller ladder and leads Technical Rescue, Tiller Training, and the Firefighter BBQ Hospitality area. - Joseph Dai is a lead physical therapist with 29 years in healthcare, including the last 12 years at Loma Linda University Medical Center Murrieta, and participates in community health education and initiatives serving underserved populations. - Sarah Taylor is a stroke program manager with 10 years in healthcare (the last two at Southwest Healthcare) who has led growth in patient volume and quality of care and represents Southwest at local senior and community events to raise stroke awareness. - Matt Schmidt is a 21-year police veteran, including eight years with the Murrieta Police Department, who leads the Community Policing team/CBAT and takes part in outreach and youth-focused programs such as E-Bike safety events, Shop With a Cop, and Coffee With a Cop. Summary: The awards highlighted a range of public service roles and long-term local commitment across education, emergency services, healthcare, and policing. Undetermined at this time.