LHHL Committee, Inc.
909 Fairport Rd.
East Rochester, NY 14445
(585)342-4175
WWW.LHHL.ORG
2009 Joan K. Rohr
2009
- Joan K. Rohr |
2009 Recipient - Joan K. Rohr
Birthright
was founded in 1968 on Louise Summerhill's desire to support women
overwhelmed from an unplanned pregnancy with "personal, one on one
contact in helping relationships". "With love and common sense"
Birthright makes use of their own resources and networking to provide
for the legal, medical, financial, or housing needs of those they
serve. Joan Rohr has not only committed years of dedicated service to
this wonderful organization, she has made Birthright's philosophy her
own.
Joan feels that the Birthright motto "It is the right of every pregnant woman to give birth and the right of every child to be born" are words to live by and they are a driving force in her work to serve women in crisis and make a real difference in the lives of both mother and child. Birthright has been a perfect fit for Joan "because it combines my faith and my career with the desire to give back to the community, working to make a difference in the lives of the women and infants whom Birthright supports". Joan states that in Birthright "I have been fortunate to have my avocation become my vocation". Joan graduated with a B.S. in Business Administration from Bowling Green State University in Ohio and began a career as a programmer/systems analyst at Kodak in 1967. In 1971 she married her husband Tom. Before moving to Hamlin, the Rohrs spent nearly thirty-six years in Greece where Joan was active in the school and Women's Guild at St. John the Evangelist parish. For over twenty years Tom and Joan were Eucharistic ministers at the Hamilton Nursing Home and involved in the Cursillo Movement with the Diocese of Rochester. Joan has always had a strong faith in God and a deep respect for life, prompting her involvement in pro-life educational programs at her parish. However, it was through the adoption of her daughter Katie that Joan "felt God's calling to become instrumental in the pro-life movement in thanksgiving for and appreciation of Katie's birth mother choosing life". She was introduced to Birthright by Fr. Jim Hewes and began as a volunteer in May of 1980. As a volunteer, Joan served on the Board of Directors and as Volunteer Coordinator where she was responsible for recruiting and training new volunteers, including three prior directors. In 1993 Joan was named Birthright's Executive Director. As director, Joan is responsible for: recruiting and training volunteers, managing the office, working with the Board on marketing and fund-raising, networking with other community agencies for resources, coordinating the activities of all volunteers, speaking to youth and adult audiences, and developing and implementing the proceedures for follow-up during pregnancy and up to the baby's first birthday. For nearly fifteen years Joan has served as Vice President of NYS Birthright. In addition to directing Rochester suburban and city offices and satellites in Brockport and Geneseo, she mentors upstate chapters in hornell, Ithaca, Ontario, Victor, and Syracuse. In her desire to provide pregnant women and infants the support they need, Joan networks within the Rochester community with the Perinatal Network of Monroe County, works with the Rochester Catholic Diocese on their Pledge For Life project and serves as Membership co-chair of the Rochester Area Administrators of Volunteer Services (RAAVS) which provides networking opportunities with over a hundred local organizations who utilize volunteers. Joan's service is love; what does each girl need to ease the crisis and see the value in the life she carries. As a nominator noted "I am sure there have been hundreds, if not thousands of women that have chosen life for their unborn, instead of abortion because of Birthright and the fidelity and faithfulness of Joan's leadership all these years". |
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