Jacque Andrew of Jefferson received Rotary International’s highest award, the Service Above Self Award, at the Rotary District 6000 conference in Des Moines May 4.
Andrew is one of only 75 Rotarians across the globe to receive the award this year. The award recognizes Rotarians – no more than 150 per year out of 1.2 million Rotarians worldwide – who have demonstrated exemplary humanitarian service, with an emphasis on personal volunteer efforts and active involvement in helping others through Rotary. The award recognizes Rotarians for humanitarian service, rather than their service to Rotary International.
In presenting the award, Rotary District 6000 governor Tom Narak called Andrew “an inspiration to others… Throughout her life, she has demonstrated passion and skill for service and in developing others to help them grow in their potential to serve.”
Andrew was president of the Rotary Club of Jefferson in 1999. During her year as president she was a driving force in the effort to relocate to Jefferson a family of Albanian refugees from Kosovo. Andrew received a Governor’s Volunteer Award recognizing her involvement in that project.
That was also the year the local club held its first charity dinner and auction. In 2005 Andrew was a founder of the Greene County Community Foundation. Narak noted that millions of dollars in grants have been awarded through those two entities, impacting uncounted lives.
She has served on the Leadership Iowa board of governors, the Iowa Public Television Foundation board, the Iowa Women’s Foundation, the Iowa National Heritage Foundation, and the Iowa 4-H Foundation. She is currently serving on the boards of Thomas Jefferson Gardens and the Greene County Early Learning Center.
Her service to Rotary has included serving as District 6000 governor in 2013-14, zone trainer form 2014-17, and chair of the North Central President Elect Training Seminars for club leaders from Iowa, Wisconsin and Minnesota from 2013-19.
She has traveled to Xicotopec, Mexico with Rotary volunteers to carry out community development projects there, and also traveled to India to volunteer in a National Immunization Day in Rotary’s effort to eradicate polio.
Since the Service Above Self Award was instituted in 1992, Rotary International has presented the award to 3,335 Rotarians in 529 districts. There have been 1,331 Service Above Self recipients in the States, including 10 from District 6000 (roughly the southern half of Iowa). Andrew is the first woman to receive the award in the district and also the first member of the Rotary Club of Jefferson to receive it.
Andrew said she was surprised and humbled to receive the award.
