The Shot@Life Champion Summit last month featured many fantastic speakers who shared information, insight, and inspiration with attendees. Check out the top ten greatest quotes from the event!
On the Shot@Life mission to ensure that children around the world have access to lifesaving vaccines:
“There is no other effort that can save children’s lives like vaccines.” – Dr. Peter Hotez, vaccine scientist and author of Vaccines Did Not Cause Rachel’s Autism
“Every child deserves a shot at life, regardless of where he or she is born.” – Kathy Calvin, President & CEO, United Nations Foundation
“I was able to immunize my kids and they were able to thrive. I want every parent in the world to have that opportunity.” – Peter Yeo, President, Better World Campaign
On why immunization efforts must continue to reach every child:
“We can be proud of the work that’s been accomplished, but we’re not done yet.” – Natasha Bilimoria, Director of US Strategy, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance
“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” – Dr. David Sniadack, Associate Chief of Programs, U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC)
On multinational efforts to get vaccines to the heroic healthcare workers who administer them:
“We believe that no community is too remote to help.” – Joe Ruiz, Director of Humanitarian Relief & Resilience Program and Communications at the UPS Foundation
“There are incredible people doing incredible work on the ground.”
– Patrick White, President and Executive Producer of Good Fight Media
On why it’s important to let policymakers know that you care about global childhood vaccine programs:
“There are a lot of reasons for optimism…when you share your experiences and your knowledge and your passion for this issue it really will help to save millions of preventable, needless deaths.” – Holly Greb, Senior Officer, Global Health, UN Foundation
“They (members of Congress) need to hear from you. They need your stories, they need your statistic, they need to know that vaccines are important.” – Smita Baruah, Senior Director of Global Health Development and Policy, Save the Children
“Speak your truth. What you say matters. Speak up for the full packages that service women and their families need to be healthy, happy, and more productive.” – Robyn Russel, Director of Programs and Innovation, Universal Access Project, UN Foundation
On the benefits of immunization programs:
“The vaccines [GAVI] supports have saved over 100 million in lost wages.”
– Natasha Bilimoria, Director of US Strategy, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance
“When you invest in health and human capital, you will reap economic rewards.” – Lea Anne Hegg, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
“If you want to advance human dignity, you need policy goals that have an impact here at home and in every country.” – Chris Whatley, Executive Director, United Nations Association of the United States
On staying motivated:
“Be persistent and be resilient in whatever you do.” – Dennis Ogbe, polio survivor, Paralympian, and Shot@Life Champion
Shannan Younger
Shannan Younger joined Shot@Life in 2016. Prior to that, she worked as an attorney and a nonprofit professional. Shannan attended the University of Notre Dame, where earned her degrees in English and in law. She also earned a certificate in Nonprofit Management from Duke University. She is a writer, with many pieces on health and education published in regional magazines, and a storyteller, recently participated in a pandemic story workshop with The Moth. After living her whole life in the Midwest, Shannan and her husband recently moved to Charlotte, NC, where she has discovered the joy of both hiking and biscuits. She has a daughter in college who is also a Shot@Life Champion and a research beagle.