Wichita, KS -- (ReleaseWire) -- 08/20/2015 --Jonathan W. McConnell was recently introduced as the newest Paul Harris Fellow of the Rotary Foundation by his father Dr. Bill McConnell. Jon is a criminal defense attorney in Wichita, Kansas who represents clients across the entire state. McConnell specializes in civil litigation, traffic law, criminal defense, white collar crime, and DUI defense. Paul Harris Fellow membership honors individuals for their generosity and support of the Rotary's humanitarian goals.

"I became a Paul Harris Fellow in honor of my father, who has shown me in his life Service Above Self," says McConnell. "From an early age, I knew that my life's calling was to help others in need. Giving back and protecting people at their lowest point brings out the best in me. My involvement as a Paul Harris Fellow further extends my mission of providing relief to people who need the most help."

Membership as a Paul Harris Fellow is achieved by contributing $1,000 or more annually to the Annual Fund, PolioPlus, or an approved global foundation grant. The individual must then be requested for membership by a Rotarian or another community member. The Rotary Foundation is dedicated to fighting disease, saving mothers and children, supporting education, promoting peace, providing clean water, and growing local economies through grants and donations. These grants are used to fund and support a wide variety of humanitarian causes including: Uganda peace-building seminars, malaria prevention in Mali, improving sanitary conditions in India, and protecting children from polio.

About the Paul Harris Society
Established in 1957, the Paul Harris Society is named after the Rotary's founding member. Paul Harris Fellow membership reached one million in 2006, and continues to make a global impact through reputable humanitarian efforts. Notable members include U.S. President Jimmy Carter, UN Secretary-General Javier Perez de Cuellar, Russian President Boris Yeltsin, and U.S. astronaut James Lovell.

McConnell received his Master of Arts in Criminal Justice from WSU, and his Juris Doctorate from the St. Thomas University School of Law in Miami, FL. In 2013 and 2014, McConnell was named a "Top 40 Under 40" attorney by The National Trial Lawyers. He is also active in the Wichita community with the Shriners Hospitals for Children and RiteCare Speech and Language Clinics.