Annette Fetty Santilli of Philippi received a prestigious award from the West Virginia Martin Luther King, Jr. State Holiday Commission on Monday, January 16, 2017 in Charleston, West Virginia. Ms. Santilli received the “Sharing of Self” Living the Dream Award at the annual Commemoration and Celebration of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Ecumenical Service held at the Asbury United Methodist Church. She was one of five award recipients at the service. The “Sharing of Self” Award is giving annually to a person who has rendered to others in the public or private sector.
She has been the Administrator for the Barbour County Health Department since December 2013 and is a member of the Board of the Jackson’s Mill Jubilee.
Annette is president of the Philippi Convention & Visitors Bureau, Philippi Main Street and of the Board of Trustees for the Philippi Public Library. She is the Adult Advisor of the Community RAZE Group, “Bulldogs Against Tobacco” and the chair of the Barbour County Local Emergency Planning Committee
She is a member of the West Virginia American Heart Association State Advocacy Committee and is the State Lead Ambassador for West Virginia of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network. She is a member of the Barbour County Relay for Life Planning Committee where she serves as Team Captain, and the Advocacy Chair.
It has said by many people, that no one person has made more of an impact on a specific disease in West Virginia than Annette. She is the Community Advocate for the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network and there is not one day that goes by that she does not do something towards “Waging Hope” in the fight against pancreatic cancer. In fact, the official WV license plate on her car says “WAGEHOPE.” She is a member of the Board of Directors for Heart and Hand House, Inc. in Philippi and is a member of the fund raising committee.
Annette attends St. Elizabeth’s Catholic Church in Philippi with her family. She is a member of the Altar & Rosary Society and helps with dinners for the community. Prior to attending St. Elizabeth’s, she attended the Ireland United Methodist Church, where she taught Sunday School for over 30 years.
Her personal motto was taken from Dr. Seuss’s ‘The Lorax,’ “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”
