Plans talk on issues facing Congress and its impact on district
(Hamilton, NY- May 2013) The Hamilton Rotary Club announces the first Hamilton Forum meeting for 2013. It will be held on Monday June 24 at 7:30 a.m. at the Colgate Inn.
The Hamilton Spring Forum meetings will be starting off by featuring the District’s congressman, Representative Richard Hanna as the guest speaker.
Hanna will speak about issues facing the current U.S. Congress, and how these issues will impact residents of the 22nd Congressional District. The public is invited and encouraged to come. This is an opportunity to interact with Representative Hanna as there will be a question and answer session after his talk.
Hanna was re-elected on Nov. 6, 2012 to represent the 22nd District of New York in the United States House of Representatives.
At the age of 20, Hanna became the primary supporter of his mother and four sisters after his father died suddenly. He put school on hold to work and pay off a substantial family debt. Over the next eight years, and without any outside assistance, Hanna and his sister, Katrina, worked together to support their family. He put himself through college and graduated in 1976.
After graduating with honors in Economics and Political Science from Reed College in Portland, Ore., he started Hanna Construction and worked on small residential projects. Over the next 27 years Hanna Construction grew to employ more than 450 people – many from the construction trades – and completed a myriad of multi-million dollar commercial and municipal projects in Upstate New York. Hanna is a 25-year member of the Operating Engineers Local 545.
Hanna is a businessman who has maintained a lifelong interest in public policy and economics. He is a member of the Mohawk Valley Chamber of Commerce and a member of the National Rifle Association. He is a licensed pilot with high performance and sea plane certifications.
He has also donated his time, leadership and personal resources to numerous civic, charitable, religious and philanthropic causes to compassionately address needs in our society.
In cooperation with The Women’s Fund of Herkimer and Oneida Counties, Inc., Hanna in 2004 founded “Annie’s Fund.” The fund was created to help women make positive changes at critical points in their lives through one-time grants. Hundreds of grants have been awarded since the inception of Annie’s Fund. The YWCA of the Mohawk Valley has also honored Congressman Hanna as a “Champion of Women” for nearly three decades.
Hanna also served for 10 years from 1994 to 2004 on the board of The Community Foundation of Herkimer and Oneida Counties, Inc., including two years as the board chairman. In 2007 he was the recipient of the foundation’s Rosamond Childs Award for Community Philanthropy. The award honors the memory of the foundation’s first and largest benefactor and is presented to a donor who exemplifies her philanthropic spirit. Hanna was the first living person to receive the award.
Hanna and his wife, Kim, live in Barneveld and have two children.
The Hamilton Forum, sponsored by the Hamilton Rotary Club, is an initiative designed to bring citizens from the community together for discussions of significant public interest. Forums are free and open to the public.