On Thursday, February 4, 2016, more than 180 individuals attended the first annual Spirit of Sheboygan Volunteer Awards, recognizing 49 individual volunteers, group organizations, and corporate partners in their support of volunteerism in Sheboygan County. At the event, sponsored by HSA Bank, Johnsonville Sausage, Kohler Company, and Sargento Foods, 10 award winners were announced.
The Youth Volunteer Star Award, honoring volunteers under the age of 18, was awarded to Our Savior’s Lutheran Youth Group and Confirmation Class. This group of young leaders has made a tremendous difference at Sheboygan County Interfaith Organization and with their Bridgeway Transitional Living Program. For many years, the confirmation class at Our Saviors has come to bring a meal and share it with residents or prepare meals on site.
The Faith-Based Volunteer of the Year Award, honoring an individual, group, family or team that volunteers through or for a faith-based organization, was presented to Judy McNulty. Judy has volunteered with The Gathering Place for the past years for seven hours every week. Judy lost her husband suddenly at an early age, and rather than being bitter, Judy decided to offer her love and kindness to the participants at The Gathering Place. She’s also volunteered for Bridgeway, Rainbow Kids, and Blessed Trinity for more than five years.
The Outstanding Volunteer Board of Directors Award, honoring a nonprofit board that has shown exceptional leadership in driving a nonprofit organization, was presented to the Habitat for Humanity Lakeside Board of Directors. Habitat for Humanity has not had an easy past few years, but despite leadership changes, the Board of Directors pulled this organization through to their current fantastic time of growth.
The Corporate Volunteer of the Year Award, honoring an individual from a corporation that has demonstrated dedication in volunteerism throughout the corporation, was awarded to Craig Yoder of Johnsonville Sausage. Craig serves on the Community Action Team at United Way, continually supporting the strategic direction of the organization through his high level skill set that has led the committee to a stellar investment process, supporting the best interests of donors, stakeholders and the community. Craig drives the quality of outcomes measurement from the partner agencies through thoughtful and supportive efforts both as an organization volunteer and a community member. He greatly emulates the mission and vision of United Way through seeking a stronger and healthier community for all.
The Community Spirit Award, honoring a corporation that has made a substantial impact in the community by promoting service to their employees by providing volunteer hours, engaging in other volunteer activities and providing paid time for employees to volunteer, was presented to Kohler Company. In 2015, Kohler Stewardship, with the Volunteer Center, facilitated more than 50 group volunteer projects throughout Sheboygan County. Nearly 800 employees volunteered for a total of 3600 volunteer hours in 2015, including 169 individual volunteers alone for the 2015 Day of Caring.
The Group/Team Volunteer of the Year Award, honoring a group or team of two or more people that volunteer together on the same project, was awarded to the Sheboygan Symphony Carolers. The Carolers entertain throughout Sheboygan County beginning after Thanksgiving and ending New Year’s Eve, with weekly engagement in many local establishments. The members of the Sheboygan Symphony Carolers spend countless hours learning the music that they perform on their own. They organize themselves and take care of booking their own engagements, without need of help from Symphony staff. Their most important contribution is that they give of themselves freely, without any compensation, to help the Sheboygan Symphony Orchestra.
The Perseverance in Volunteerism Award, honoring a volunteer who has overcome significant personal, mental and/or physical obstacles in order to engage in service to others, was presented to Tamaney Augustin. After suffering a stroke and several forms of cancer, Tamaney took up volunteering at the Senior Activity Center of Sheboygan, tutoring seniors on technology, teaching City staff and troubleshooting website issues.
The Individual Volunteer of the Year Award was awarded to two exceptional volunteers. Gerry Plehn is the catalyst behind Making Spirits Bright, the wonderful Christmas event at Evergreen Park which brings so much food to the local pantries and so much joy to those driving through the park. Gerry is at the park throughout the entire event, from the planning and setup stages through the event to the tear-down in January. Under Gerry’s management, Making Spirits Bright has grown from a relatively small production four years ago to the major event that it is today.
Marge Voigt, the second winner, has tirelessly developed the Baby Care Diaper Bank and Newborn Supplies Program for many years. She has located the funding to support her efforts, purchased items and delivered them to families if needed. She has helped meet the needs of many new parents with limited financial resources. She is passionate about assisting families with meeting their individual needs when they bring a newborn from the hospital. She is the main organizer and freely gives her personal time to provide items to families in a timely fashion, sensitive to their unique family situations.
The final award, Lifetime Achievement Award, honoring a volunteer who has exhibited a lifelong commitment to volunteerism and community service, was awarded to Denny Moyer. Denny has given more than 50 years of support to supporting baseball in Sheboygan County. Denny and his entire family have been involved with the Sheboygan Athletic Club, otherwise known as the Sheboygan A’s, in every facet, from playing, to managing the field, to acting as general manager. Denny has devoted countless hours to supporting the program, from doing financials, assembling the team and program, raising money and performing at speaking engagements.
At the conclusion of the event, Jon Doll, United Way executive director, announced the total impact of volunteerism in 2015. As reported from the Volunteer Center’s Member Agencies, more than 14,000 individual volunteers for a total of nearly half a million hours. With the state of Wisconsin placing the value of one volunteer hour at $22.54, this total impact amount to more than $10 Million!