White House Author

Ann Lee Hussey has made the eradication of polio and the alleviation of suffering by polio survivors her life’s work. In the past 12 years she has actively participated in 25 volunteer NID (National Immunization Days) teams organizing and leading the last 18 teams herself, choosing to take those NIDs to places that do not often see westerners – Chad, Mali, Bangladesh, Niger, 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. She 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. But for all the immunizations Ann Lee has herself made possible through NIDs, she considers fundraising and public awareness her most critical accomplishments. Ann Lee’s work has earned her the International Service Award for a Polio-Free World and the Rotary Service Above Self Award. Outside Rotary, Ann Lee served as a trustee of York Hospital and currently serves on the board of Port Resources, an organization that supports developmentally challenged adults in Portland, Maine.