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(Article, photo and cutline by Phyllis Noah, communications coordinator)

            Shawnee State University’s Rita Haider receives award from the Portsmouth Area Chamber of Commerce; Because of her volunteer work, Rita Haider, project coordinator for Shawnee State University’s Center for International Projects and Activities, received the new “Making a Difference” award from the Portsmouth Area Chamber of Commerce in June along with two other recipients. Haider is involved in several volunteer projects in the community and around the world. She works as co-president for Habitat for Humanity. She works on Crop Walk, an annual fund-raising event to fight hunger, collects medical supplies from doctors’ offices, individuals and hospitals to send to foreign countries in need and she has been involved in an outreach program encouraging people to recycle. Haider holds her “Making a Difference” award in the photo.

            When the Portsmouth Area Chamber of Commerce was choosing a “Chamber Member of the Year” recipient this year, they realized that there were many people in the community making a difference. They decided to present a new “Making a Difference” award to several people.
            Three women in the community were recognized at a chamber banquet in June receiving the “Making a Difference” award, Sue Burke, master gardener, Robin Hamm-LeValley, optometrist, and Shawnee State University’s Rita Haider, project coordinator for the Center for International Programs and Activities.
            “We felt the need to recognize them for their efforts,” said Lisa Carver, administrator for the Portsmouth Area Chamber of Commerce. “The awards were given to those who exemplify what it means to make a difference. Some, like Rita, not only have an impact in our community, but across the world.”
            Haider is involved in several volunteer projects in the community and around the world. She works as co-president for Habitat for Humanity.
            “There’s probably not a day that I don’t go home and do something with Habitat,” Haider said.
            She is heavily involved with Crop Walk, an annual fund-raising event to fight hunger. Haider collects medical supplies from doctors’ offices, individuals and hospitals to send to foreign countries in need. She also has been involved in an outreach program encouraging people to recycle.
            “Here in America, if you walk into a room with something and even if the package hasn’t been opened, you can’t use it on another person,” Haider said. “So, we get all the discarded new supplies we can.”
            The supplies are stored in rooms at the Masonic Temple that have been donated and every other year they ship all the supplies to countries that need them. Some supplies are sent with people on mission trips.
            “I have personally taken the supplies to Haiti three times, the Philippines and Pakistan, but we have sent them to countries around the world,” Haider said. “It’s massive. We need a lot of volunteers to help.”