Emily Brouwer of Potsdam was recently honored with the Service Above Self award by the Rotary Club of Potsdam.
Brouwer was honored with the award in recognition of her outstanding contributions to the Potsdam community.
Brouwer, a teacher at Potsdam Central’s A.A. Kingston Middle School, has been teaching French and Spanish in the North Country for more than 20 years. This year, she added Teaching English as a Second Language, while completing a certificate of advanced studies at Clarkson University.
She has been advisor to her school's Rotary-sponsored InterAct Club, since joining the school nine years ago. InterAct students have regularly participated in volunteer opportunities in aid of the local community, as well as responding to the club’s mission of international action.
These activities include annual participation in the Rotary Wheelchair Challenge, which raises funds to provide wheelchairs to those in need in the developing world. Students have also responded with donations in the wake of natural disasters, such as the Japanese tsunami and earthquake in Nepal, support UNICEF, and have provided anti-malarial nets in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Closer to home, InterAct Club members regularly host and offer presentations on diverse countries, solicit donations for the Interfaith Thanksgiving food basket program, pack holiday baskets for the Potsdam Holiday Fund, and sponsor a camper at Rotary’s Dodge Pond summer camp.
Brouwer is a returned Peace Corps volunteer, having served in both Haiti and Cameroon. She is a board member of the Potsdam Holiday Fund and has been a trustee of the Potsdam Public Museum.
She grew up in Potsdam, where she lives with her husband, Don Cannamela, and two children, Theo and Tess.
Photo caption: Emily Brouwer of Potsdam was recently honored with the Service Above Self award by the Rotary Club of Potsdam. Above, Brouwer (right) receives her award from Rotarian Mary Sue Foster.