Retired and Senior Volunteer Program 37th Annual Recognition and Awards Day
</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[The Retired and Senior Volunteer Program sponsored by Western Egyptian E.O. C. held its 37th Annual Recognition and Awards Day for Randolph County on September 27, 2011 at the American Legion Hall in Steeleville with approximately 250 people attending.
Volunteers attending were asked to donate a canned food item to be donated to the local food pantry and a personal care item for servicemen and women. Volunteers were also asked to write a thank you note and Christmas greeting to local servicemen and women. The cards and personal care items were donated to the local VFW for them to send care packages to local servicemen and women. Over 1,000 canned goods and personal care items were collected. Everyone attending wrote thank you notes and Christmas greeting. We would like to thank all the volunteers who overwhelmingly participated in our community service projects in remembrance of 9/11 and Senior Corp week.
Paulette Hamlin, Executive Director of Western Egyptian Economic Opportunity Council, gave the welcome.
State Representative Jerry Costello, II spoke to the seniors on the importance of volunteerism in meeting the needs of the community and the great impact volunteers have on the lives of the individuals they assist.
Patsy Hopkins a representative of Congressman Jerry Costello's office expressed on behalf of the congressman his congratulations and thanks for the volunteer efforts in Randolph County.
Terry Luehr and David Holder of the Randolph County Board of Commissioners also expressed their thanks and appreciation to the RSVP volunteers and presented a contribution to the RSVP program on behalf of the county board.
Pastor Charles Campbell of Chester gave the prayer preceding the noon buffet prepared by the American Legion Auxiliary.
Charlie and the Girls from Ellis Grove provided the entertainment.
Sylvia Shockley, and Sheldon Gitelman were presented certificates from the Internal Revenue Service for volunteering with the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program.
Donna Wolters, RSVP Director presented awards to the ten volunteers with the greatest number of hours for the year. Linda Snider, Marion Wahlman, Dorothy Linders, Emily Lyons, Janet Lochhead, Ruth Beare, Bernadine Wegener, Collette Powley, Mary Stallman, and Barbara Skinner.
Awards were presented to the 5 Year Members: Carolyn Colvis, Janice Dettmer, Robert Dickson, Mary Eaton, Richard Eaton, Marlene Eckert, Doris Feaman, Dorothy Gemmill, Kathryn Harvey, Sue Hermes, Mary Mahan Edgar Misselhorn, LaVerne Misselhorn, Sharon Misuraca, Melvin Neislein, Lucille Roth, Carolyn Schwent, Antoinette Thorp, Nancy Tieman and LeRose Wandro.
10 Year Members: Alma Barbour, Delbert Bierman, Vernon Bracknell, Betty Brelje, Ed Cimarolli, Beulah Coulter, Wilma Heller, Jeanne Kleinschmidt, Charlotte Knop, Shirley Kuhn, Judy Lagow, Marsha Link, Imogene McDonough, Helen Nagel, Donna Rinne, Estelle Sauerwein, Ernest Schuchert, Isaac Spinner, Bernice Winkelman, Anne Witbart, and Adeline Wolters.
15 Year Members: Allene Becker, Linda Butler, Charles Campbell, Charles Carnahan, Eileen Hasemeyer, Norbert Liefer, Emily Lyons, Rosalie Neilson, Lydia Smith and Bernadine Wegener.
20 Year Members: Bertha Mae Blechle, Verna Caron and Edward Powley.
During the past year the Retired Senior Volunteers contributed over 60,207 hours of service at non-profit organizations throughout Randolph County. The RSVP wishes to thank the area business that supported the program by placing an advertisement in the program booklet.