The Mid-Ohio District Nurses Association established this fund to honor the leadership and service of Debbie Cannon Freece, former Executive Director of this association. Ms. Freece graduated from The Ohio State University School of Nursing in 1974 with her BSN and again in 1979 with a MS in Nursing Administration and Education. Debbie Cannon Freece, MS, CNS, worked in long-term care in multiple roles that include director of nursing at a skilled nursing facility, project director for Ohio Department of Health Nursing Home Area Training Centers, educator, and geriatric nurse consultant. Her belief in mentorship, education, volunteerism, and advocacy on public health issues drives her commitment to the nursing profession. She led the Mid-Ohio District Nurses Association, an affiliate of the Ohio and American Nurses Association, as executive director for 22 years. Debbie received the Cornelius Leadership Congress Award (1995) and the Excellence in Non-Traditional Nursing Award from the Ohio Nurses Association (2007), the Community Service Award from The Ohio State University College of Nursing Alumni Society (2008), inducted as a Local Nursing Legend by the Medical Heritage Center’s Friends of Nursing History Steering Committee (2013) and named to The Ohio State University College of Nursing 100 Distinguished Alumni who have been transformers of healthcare during their careers (2014).