Hannah Warren - President Elect
 
     Rockford Rotary has had a small problem with the Presidential succession with Bev Broyles taking a full-time teaching position at Beloit High School.  President Dennis was not enthusiastic about assuming the title of "President for Life" so he started making phone calls.  He finally found a President-Elect in Hannah Warren.
     Congratulations to Hannah for being willing to step up.  This, of course, leaves Rockford Rotary with a vacant Program Chair and President for the 2022-2023 Rotary Year and a vacant position on the Board of Directors.  But that is a problem for the Board to figure out.
 
     Here is what Hannah wrote for this special edition of the COG.
 
     Now more than ever, it is tome to fight xenophobia and to act as a global community. The pandemic has highlighted just how interconnected we all are. Now is the time to join hands as global citizens to shape a better future by fighting environmental degradation, poverty, and social injustice. Being a Rotarian gives me hope that we have a fighting chance to shape a brighter, more just and equitable future for all. Rotary is such a unique organization as it mobilizes Rotarians to be agents of positive change on a local and global scale.
     I first experienced the power of Rotary as a Youth Exchange Student to Thailand. It changed my entire life trajectory and had a deep impact, shaping me into a “world citizen” from a very young age. I have been in awe of Rotary and the tireless efforts of countless individual Rotarians ever since. I later had the opportunity to learn more about the miracles of the Rotary Foundation as an Ambassadorial Scholar to India and a Global Grant Scholar to the United Kingdom, as well as through my work with Jhoole in the area of Economic and Community Development.
     At the beginning of the pandemic, I saw the immense power of Rotary in a whole new way when we came together locally to fill an urgent need and make critical PPE available to our frontline workers. Collaborating with Rotary, Mohop and Womanspace, we were able to donate 13,355 facemasks to the local community at the beginning of the crisis when there was a dire shortage due to the fragmented global supply chain. Later, our Rotary district partnered with Mohop to provide 3,000 face shields to healthcare workers. We will never truly know the impact of our efforts and it is possible that we literally saved lives.
     I am so excited about this new Rotary journey. I am looking forward to being President and collaborating with our club in 2021-2022 as we work together to be a force for positive change in our local community and across the globe! 
     Hannah Warren is an artist and social entrepreneur focused on cultivating community engagement for positive change. She founded Jhoole, a nonprofit fashion social enterprise based in Maheshwar, Madhya Pradesh, India in 2008. Jhoole employs women to help them gain economic independence, invest in education and break the cycle of poverty in their community. Jhoole focuses on empowering women both financially, through employment and vocational training, and as individuals, through community programming in literacy, mindfulness, health and the creative arts.
     In addition to being Executive Director of Jhoole, she is the Development and Marketing Director of Womanspace, a unique nonprofit organization in Rockford that focuses on empowering women to become creative, confident, impactful leaders. She has a BA in South Asian Studies and Linguistics from the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies and a MA in Fashion Entrepreneurship from London College of Fashion.