Rotarian Ann Lee Hussey, a polio survivor whose life mission is to eradicate polio, inspired the annual District 7910 Foundation Dinner. The event was held on November 14 at the Sheraton Framingham Hotel & Conference Center in Framingham.
To view and download the event photos, click here. Make sure to click on the final image. It's a three-second video with an inspiring shout-out by: District Governor Pam Anastasi; members of the District Foundation Committee, chaired by Steve Sager; and, event keynote speaker Ann Lee Hussey.
During this event, Rotary clubs in our District also shared the inspiration behind their current Global and District Grants projects. And, several clubs were presented District awards. They are:
Per-capita giving, ranked by dollar amount: 1. Tyngsborough-Dunstable; 2. Wellesley; and, 3. Nashoba Valley. Note: For the three clubs that give the most, per capita, to the Annual Fund. Clubs that give at least $50 per capita are eligible.
100% Giving Clubs, shown alphabetically: Billerica, Charles River, Leominster, Littleton, Merrimack Valley, Milford, Needham, and, Neponset Valley. Note: For clubs that achieve an average of $100 in per-capita giving and 100 percent participation, with every dues-paying member contributing at least $25 to any or all of the following during the Rotary year: Annual Fund, PolioPlus Fund, approved Global Grants, and Endowment Fund.
Every Rotarian Every Year clubs, shown alphabetically: Billerica, Charles River, Leominster, Littleton, Merrimack Valley, Milford, Needham, and Neponset Valley. Note: EREY clubs achieve a minimum Annual Fund contribution of $100 per capita during the Rotary year, and every dues-paying member contribute personally at least $25 to the Annual Fund during the Rotary year.
Per-capita giving, ranked by dollar amount: 1. Tyngsborough-Dunstable; 2. Wellesley; and, 3. Nashoba Valley. Note: For the three clubs that give the most, per capita, to the Annual Fund. Clubs that give at least $50 per capita are eligible.
100% Giving Clubs, shown alphabetically: Billerica, Charles River, Leominster, Littleton, Merrimack Valley, Milford, Needham, and, Neponset Valley. Note: For clubs that achieve an average of $100 in per-capita giving and 100 percent participation, with every dues-paying member contributing at least $25 to any or all of the following during the Rotary year: Annual Fund, PolioPlus Fund, approved Global Grants, and Endowment Fund.
Every Rotarian Every Year clubs, shown alphabetically: Billerica, Charles River, Leominster, Littleton, Merrimack Valley, Milford, Needham, and Neponset Valley. Note: EREY clubs achieve a minimum Annual Fund contribution of $100 per capita during the Rotary year, and every dues-paying member contribute personally at least $25 to the Annual Fund during the Rotary year.
The keynote speech was presented by Anne Lee Hussey, a resident of South Berwick, ME, who is an inspirational public speaker and volunteer team leader for Polio Eradication Campaigns at Rotary International. As a Rotarian since 2002, she has made the eradication of polio and the alleviation of suffering by polio survivors her life’s work. She is shown (center) posing with Immediate Past District Governor Steve Sager (left), chair of the District Foundation Committee, and District Governor Pam Anastasi (right).In the past 12 years, Hussey has actively participated in 25 volunteer National Immunization Days teams. She has organized and led the last 18 NID teams herself, choosing to take them to places that do not often see westerners – Bangladesh, Chad, Mali, Niger and Nigeria as well as less “touristy” destinations in Egypt and India – where the need is greatest, and where the publicity and goodwill surrounding the trip are as critical as the immunizations themselves to help communicate the need for eradication.
Hussey has shared her story and passion hundreds of times, carrying the message of PolioPlus around the Rotary world and beyond, raising money and creating new converts to the fight. She is determined that no child will needlessly have to suffer what she herself, a polio survivor, has been through.
As a polio survivor, Hussey has a shown a passion for the polio-eradication program, and shares Rotary International’s vision for a polio-free world. She believes strongly that one person can make a difference, and that it is a privilege and a gift to do the work of Rotary.
In 2005, Hussey received Rotary International's highest honor for individual Rotarians, the Service Above Self award. And, in 2006, she received The Rotary Foundation's International Service Award for a Polio Free World.
For more information on Ann Lee Hussey, including videos of her in service-above-self action, click here.
To learn more about District 7910's Foundation Committee, click here.
For more information, contact Immediate Past District Governor Steve Sager, chair of the District Foundation Committee, at ssager@sagerlegal.com.
Photos: Steve Jones-D'Agostino, Rotary Club of Nashoba Valley.