Be More Awards honor outstanding community service

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
APRIL 4, 2012

For more information, contact:
Bet Savich, Director, City of Bloomington Volunteer Network, 349.3472, [email protected]
Lucy Schaich, Assistant Director, City of Bloomington Volunteer Network, 349.3433, [email protected]

Be More Awards honor outstanding community service

Bloomington, IN - The Be More Awards, honoring local volunteers for outstanding community service, were presented last evening, April 3, 2012, in the Buskirk-Chumley Theater.

Fifty three individuals and groups, all of whom had been nominated by community members, were recognized for their generous contributions of time and talent in the past year. The Awards program is sponsored by the City of Bloomington Volunteer Network, Community Foundation of Bloomington and Monroe County, IU Credit Union, United Way of Monroe County and WTIU Public Television.

Award recipients in 10 categories were selected by an independent panel of judges. Mayor Mark Kruzan presented each honoree with a commemorative plaque. The Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Community Foundation, Mary Frances McCourt, presented each with a $500 check for the organization for which the recipient volunteered. A total of $5,000 was presented by the Community Foundation of Bloomington and Monroe County to community organizations through the Be More Awards.

"You are critical components of our network for improvement, our network for change," said Bet Savich, Director of the City of Bloomington Volunteer Network, at the event last evening. "You are its fuel. "Community development doesn't happen without community service. It's an honor to work alongside you!"

Additional presenters included Bryan Price (President and CEO of IU Credit Union), Phil Meyer (Station Manager, WTIU), Barry Lessow (Executive Director, United Way of Monroe County), Gracia Valliant (former Chair, Bloomington Commission on Hispanic and Latino Affairs), Aaron Barnes (Recipient of 2012 Outstanding Black Male Leader of Tomorrow Award), The Honorable Viola J. Taliaferro and Malcolm Abrams (Editor in Chief, Bloom Magazine).

Recipient Summaries:

Be More Collaborative Award (Family or Group)

Tornado cleanup volunteers of Van Buren Township: In the weeks following the F1 tornado that hit Bloomington on May 26, 2011, local volunteers gathered, with their chainsaws, heavy equipment, or simply their gloved hands and strong backs, to clean up tons of tree, building and other debris scattered far and wide across the southwestern portion of Monroe County. (The recipient of the funds is the Van Buren Township Volunteer Firefighters.)

Be More Phenomenal Award (Board Member)

Donna Lafferty's work with the Bloomington Symphony Orchestra has spanned a period of 14 years and an average of 100 hours per month. Over the years, she has served as Personnel Manager, head of the Nominations Committee and Director of Marketing and Development. In 2011 alone, this committee raised roughly $38,000 for the Orchestra, which relies heavily on volunteers for day-to-day operational support.

Be More Involved Award (College Student)

Emily Bornstein is a powerhouse volunteer at Middle Way House. She is described by her peers as "dedicated, self-directed and compassionate." She designed an art program and curriculum for children ages 2 to 17, recruited other art students to help her, secured funding for supplies, and planned art activities each week, involving over 60 children. She is working to insure that this program becomes a permanent collaboration between Middle Way House and the Hope School of Fine Arts at IU.

Be More Creative Award (Arts and Culture)

Mary Lee Deckard was one of the founders of the Monroe County History Center in 1980, after a group of volunteers saved the building from being torn down. Since then, she has been a driving force on the Collections and Exhibits Committee, the Garage Sale Committee, has helped at special events, and single-handedly managed the Museum Gift Store. Thanks to her and her involvement, the History Center is a place to enjoy the past while looking to the future.

Be More Knowledgeable Award (Education/Literacy)

Katie Hopkins is involved with the Monroe County Circles ® Initiative as a Circle Leader - someone who does not have enough resources to be stable, but is highly motivated to become self-sufficient. As the national Circles ® Campaign seeks to expand, Katie has helped create a video explaining Circles ® in Spanish and shared her story at trainings all over Indiana and the U.S. Because Katie shares a difficult story, people are reminded that poverty has many faces.

Be More Sustainable Award (Environmental/Animal Welfare)

What began as Lisa Ritchel's once a week dog walking shift at the City of Bloomington Animal Shelter quickly turned into her helping them in nearly every aspect of their operation. She serves as an adoption counselor and is responsible for registering all of their adopted animals' microchips with their new owners' information. In addition, she spends hours each week comparing lost reports to animals in the shelter, calling potential matches and reuniting lost cats and dogs with their owners.

Be More Energized (Youth)

Hannah Fidler, age 16, was one of the first and the youngest Bloomington volunteers to help open the 100% fair trade store downtown, Global Gifts, in 2009 and has volunteered weekly ever since. She joined the Board of Directors in 2010 and quickly formed and led the educational outreach committee. She has since developed three fair trade curriculum modules for K-12 students and recently tested these modules at Harmony School during Martin Luther King Jr. Day. She is looking forward to teaching the curriculum in Bloomington public schools. (Recipient of the funds is Fair Trade Bloomington)

Two 'Be More Bloomington' awards were presented. These awards are selected from all of the submitted nominations and include consideration of overall excellence, level of community impact and embodiment of community goodwill.

The first was presented to Phillip Saunders, who has been volunteering for the Shalom Community Center since the idea for a day shelter for people experiencing homelessness in Bloomington first took hold in 1999. He rallied support, leading the Shalom Team at the First United Methodist Church, where it was housed for its first decade. He has served on the Board, on the Finance and Development Committee and designed their donor database. He volunteers almost every day, picking up the mail, preparing donation deposits, entering data and printing and mailing thank you letters. Phil has a passion and vigor for Shalom like no other.

The second was presented to Julie Pointer, for her 19 years of volunteer leadership with the Monroe County Girl Scouts. She has helped them flourish, allowing more girls to discover new opportunities, connect with new friends and make a difference in the world around them. She currently serves as the Service Unit Manager for the southeastern half of Monroe County, serving more than 500 girls and supervising 281 adult volunteers. She also chairs the Monroe County Cookie Sale Team and is in her ninth year as director of the Girl Scout Day Camp, taking a week's vacation from her full time job to serve in this role.

Be More Dedicated (Lifetime of Service)

Lee Marchant has been dedicated to his work with IU Health Bloomington for more than 17 years, 12 of those on the Board of Directors. Lee's 20-year involvement with Ivy Tech included positions on the Foundation Board of Directors, raising nearly $80 million during his tenure as chair. Lee has been a Salvation Army Advisory Board member for more than 25 years and an advisor to eight executive directors during this time. Lee's dedicated, reliable service and strong governance have touched the lives of tens of thousands of people in the Bloomington community. (The award was split among the IU Health Bloomington Foundation's Dr. Clarence and Rita Marchant Fund, the Ivy Tech Foundation and the Salvation Army.)

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