In mid August, Volunteers of America (VOA) and Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) held their annual awards breakfast ceremony at the Drake Center in Fort Collins. Multiple awards for senior volunteers were given by local dignitaries including Larimer County Commissioners Tom Donnelly and John Kefalas, Mayors Wade Troxell (Fort Collins) and Jacki Marsh (Loveland), Fort Collins Deputy Police Chief Greg Yeager, and Poudre Fire Chief Tom DeMint among others. Master of Ceremonies RSVP Senior Corps Director Andrew Davies gave the introduction and history of RSVP.
(l-r) Linda Franklin, RSVP Senior Corps Director Andrew Davies, & Lois Hart
Lead with Experience Award. RSVP volunteers Linda Franklin (374 hours in 2019) & Lois Hart (388 hours). Other nominations included Linae Warden, Sandi Ackerman, and Isabelle Becker. Susan Ramos (60 hours) won the Rookie of the Year Award. Other nominations included Francis Thompson and Sue Elliott.
PAFC Volunteer Team with Fire & Deputy Police Chiefs
The Partnership for Age Friendly Communities (1320 collective hours in 2019) won the Volunteer Team of the Year Award. PAFC members included Martha Conant, Cherrie Thornton, Cheryl Noble, Sue Ballou, Bonnie Shetler, Myles Crane, Paula Stearn, and Alan Heileman. Other nominations included Crossroads Safe House and Chilson Senior Center in Loveland.
(l-r) Loveland Mayor Jacki Marsh, Ron Hedrick, & Fort Collins Mayor Wade Troxell
Volunteer of the Year Award. Ron Hedrick (1246 hours in 2019) with the American Red Cross. Other nominations included Barbara Hendershot, Kathy Murphy, Sue Ballou, Jennis Hansen, and Tony Fourcroy.
A few of the RSVP Lifetime Award Recipients
RSVP Lifetime Award Recipients. The Lifetime Achievement Award is given to any volunteer exceeding 4,000 hours in their lifetime. This year, Nancy Mendenhall with Poudre Library (4,041 hours), Carolyn Andrews with CO Welcome Center (4,268 hours), Tony Meza with Chilson Senior Center (4,493 hours), Tom Miller with Loveland Fishing Club (4,697 hours), Ron Hedrick with Red Cross (4,765 hours), Mary Lou Selch with VOA Grocery (4,861 hours), Michael Cowley with CO Welcome Center (4,959 hours), Sharon Johnson with VOA Grocery (5,220 hours), Mary Anne Ellison with Loveland Habitat for Humanity (5,674 hours), Charles Sturgill with CO Welcome Center (6,073 hours), Joyce Boston with McKee Medical (8,225 hours), Donna Nielsen with McKee Medical (9,821 hours), Ruth Fletcher-Carter with RAFT (11,660 hours), and Jean Kaye-Wilson with Help Intl (17,720 hours) are recipients of the Lifetime Achievement Award.
Thanks to VOA organizer Jeanne Mackenzie and her team for making this event a successful awards ceremony!