On March 5 the Emmaus Rotary Club gathered at The Mercantile Club, 427 Railroad St., Emmaus, to celebrate International Women’s Day by honoring two exceptional women, Janet Kolepp and Helen Fosam, who through their local and international service demonstrate the Rotary Club’s core values of service, fellowship, integrity, diversity and leadership.

In her 18 years of service as a Rotarian Kolepp has been a dedicated leader and facilitator on a local and global spectrum.

Locally, she has introduced a monthly food service program at the Bethlehem Emergency Shelter as a member of both the Rotary Club of Lehigh Valley East and Bethlehem Morningstar.

She also played a pivotal role in upgrading the HVAC and generator installation at Victory House, which serves veterans and homeless men by providing transitional housing opportunities.

Kolepp’s international service rooted in Kenya has advanced projects by supporting maternal and child health initiatives, education and sustainability. As a member of the Women of Action Team she personally witnessed the positive impact that clinic and school improvements, a mobile library and water access has had on the community.

For Kolepp, service to others is a family affair as she and her family have hosted five Rotary exchange students, enriching the lives and futures of students as they learn abroad.

In her acceptance speech, Kolepp noted Rotary has changed her life by “gifting us with opportunities that invite us to grow, serve and connect with each other.”

Fosam was also honored by the Rotary Club as the recipient of the International Women’s Day Community Award for her volunteer-founded nonprofit, MiLHO (Missing Link To Improved Health Outcomes), which addresses barriers to health equity: access to reliable, culturally appropriate health education for individuals whose primary language is not English.

MiLHO’s impact can be seen in the Lehigh Valley and on a global scale in the countries of Uganda and Kenya through partnerships with health care professionals and native-speaking translators who work together to create medically accurate, culturally resonant and easy to understand health resources.

Fosam’s compassionate leadership through MiHLO’s mission “has transformed barriers into bridges, ensuring that language is never an obstacle to health, dignity or opportunity.”