Anne Hentz, of the Rotary Club of Acton Boxborough, is a person who does far more than might be expected. She doesn’t care who gets the credit - and finds a way to get the job done.
Anne sought out and joined the Acton-Boxborough club in February 2020, attracted by Rotary’s philosophy as expressed in Rotary's Four-Way Test. She didn’t know a lot about how Rotary works, but she was also ready to learn - and ready to work.
Although Anne was very new to the Acton-Boxborough club and - because of COVID-19 pandemic - hadn’t even met all of her fellow club members in person, she agreed to chair her club's first-ever online auction. And, while she was just learning about her club, she agreed to present the idea of an online fundraiser at one of the first monthly Open Doors with DG Diana online sessions, hosted by District Governor Diana Nestorova.
Once planning for the virtual silent auction, Bid for Brighter Futures, was underway, all of the committee members worked hard at the various aspects that the project demanded. When push came to shove, though, it was Anne who, behind the scenes, saw to it that all of the tasks got done. When time grew short, she saw to it that the final-day Gala Presentation's multi-part video, produced by Acton TV, was a clear motivation for people to donate to the auction, to support the Acton Food Pantry and the Domestic Violence Services Network. Anne convinced her friends to contribute auction items, and her family to create a moving video about the emotional costs of domestic violence. And, oh yes, while she was working on her club’s auction, she was also designing and organizing the live online auction that was held during May's virtual District Conference!
The Acton-Boxborough club nominated Anne for an Unsung Hero(ine) Award this year because she went so far beyond expectations. As a brand-new Rotarian, she punched above her weight. She isn’t a club officer, and hadn’t had the chance to learn about all that Rotary offers and expects, when she said yes to this challenge. The club raised a grand total of more than $9,200 - 123 percent of the goal - during the Bid for Brighter Futures auction - more than on any other of the club's winter/spring projects in several years.
Yet when Anne is thanked for making such a great success of her club's very first attempt at an online auction, she deflects praise to the other committee members, to the generosity of event sponsors, to the efforts of other club members. Not only the Acton-Boxborough but also our district and Rotary as a whole have benefited from her endless energy, enthusiasm, and commitment.
For more information on our '20-'21 Unsung Heroes, contact District Governor Diana Nestorova at diana_nestorova@hotmail.com.
