Rochester Rotary Riser Joanne Rosener Receives Prestigious Award
Rochester, MN – On Tuesday, May 3, Rochester Rotary Risers Rotarian Joanne Rosener was awarded the Service Above Self Award for 2021-2022 by Rotary International. The Service Above Self Award is a prestigious award for Rotarians and Rotaractors who demonstrate their commitment to helping others by volunteering their time and talents to make an impact on humanity. It is considered the highest honor that Rotary International can bestow on a member.
Rosener has done just about every club activity including serving as President for two years, Public Image Team Lead for several years, and also Vocational Service Team Leader most recently. Joanne has been involved in the Club’s signature literacy initiative, My Book Day. She has coordinated the World Polio Day activities for the Club for the last 4 years. Last year, Joanne stepped up to be the Club’s coordinator for their first year
being involved in most important and much-needed community service – Meals On Wheels.
being involved in most important and much-needed community service – Meals On Wheels.Internationally, Joanne and her husband Dick have participated in one Polio National Immunization Day in India. She is involved in the District-wide Fast For Hope (FFH) initiative, including chairing the Steering Committee for 3 years. Joanne has made two trips to Nicaragua, presented updates on our work and progress to clubs, and stepped up to coordinate presentation speakers to clubs for several years. Also on a District level, Joanne has been involved in the Club Vision team. She was the coordinator for several years and set up these facilitated sessions for Clubs.
Joanne and her and Dick have attended 6 Rotary International Conventions. That international focus has carried over as she was a member of the District’s Friendship Exchange committee for several years. Joanne’s family has also hosted participants in the Rotary Group Study Exchange. Year after year, she continues to serve in some capacity on her Club's board. Joanne and Dick are passionate about The Rotary Foundation and have made TRF their charity of choice. They are Major Donors, Bequest Society members, long-time Paul Harris Fellows, and members of the Paul Harris Society.
This nomination and ultimate selection also took into account Rotarians’ service work beyond Rotary. Joanne’s contributions in this arena are just as worthy and varied, including many leadership positions.
Joanne’s willingness to get involved in all levels of Rotary, in the variety of the programs and activities Rotary has to offer, really shows she’s a Rotarians Rotarian, as she has a long and varied history of modeling Service Above Self. As one of her fellow Club members stated, “whatever the Club does in Rotary, Joanne is always involved. She leads, does presentations, donates, serves on teams, and volunteers for service projects and other events.”
About Rotary and District 5960
Rotary’s vision is “Together we see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change, in our community, across the globe, and in ourselves.” We do this through a global network of volunteer leaders dedicated to tackling the world’s most pressing humanitarian challenges. Our mission is to advance world peace and understanding, goodwill and peace through improved health, the support of education and alleviation of poverty. Rotary connects 1.2 million members of more than 35,000 Rotary clubs in over 200 countries and geographical areas. Within District 5960, which includes much of southeast and east metro Minnesota in addition to 6 counties in western Wisconsin, there are 60 clubs focused on humanitarian service. Locally, the Rotary Club of Rochester Risers members provide both hands-on skills and financial support for sustainable projects to improve our community. Our work improves lives at both the local and international levels including our continuing work toward a polio-free world. For more information, visit www.rochesterrisers.org or Rotary5960.org.
