Kosciusko Foundation Honors Volunteers
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
The 2005 Heart of Gold Awards reception, presented by Kosciusko County Community Foundation Inc., was held Tuesday at Center Lake Pavilion. Forty-seven individuals were recognized for having hearts of gold. The welcome was given by Bob Condon, KCCF board president, and the invocation was by the Rev. Jerry Yoder. Suzie Light, executive director of KCCF, spoke about how the annual Heart of Gold awards help the Foundation fulfill its mission.
The keynote address by Ken Locke focused on Thaddeus Kosciuszko and the philanthropic nature of his life.
Nominees and nominators were presented, with the nominees receiving an envelope and a Heart of Gold pin, and they had their photos taken with their nominators.
Dr. Ron Manahan, a KCCF board member, highlighted 10 Heart of Gold nominations to share with those in attendance.
Nominees recognized were:
Carrie Yocum, who has used her background in social work and her teaching position to mentor social work students at Grace College, many of whom continue to seek her guidance after graduation. She has brought her expertise to several volunteer boards, including Combined Community Services and Cardinal Center.
Merae Meek, a mother of six, works at Warsaw Community High School, is a middle school cheerleading coach, manages concessions and works extracurricular events at the high school. One of her nominators is an exchange student from Sierra Leone, who she helped expose to American culture. He has so enjoyed spending time with Merae and her family, that he asked to come live with them and Merae and her family agreed. They are now helping prepare the exchange student for college.
June Stealy goes above and beyond her duties as a speech therapist for young children. She works extra hours and travels in bad weather to ensure that each child receives the utmost attention and service. In her personal time, she searches for inexpensive toys that might motivate a child and provides homemade snacks to reward their attempts. She enrolled in a Spanish class to better communicate with Spanish-speaking children.
Sally Mahnken received numerous nominations from volunteers to the program she administers for abused and neglected children. She teaches and encourages volunteers from all walks of life to gain the skill and confidence needed to represent a child's best interest in a court setting. Her efforts to bring Kosciusko County's CASA program to be recognized as one of the best in Indiana and nationally were also noted.
Dr. Jennifer Brumfield, principal of Warsaw Community High School, has gained the respect of teachers and students alike with her unselfish approach to school administration. In addition to recognizing student achievement and establishing a school climate of respect and pride, she also has provided emotional support for faculty at her school who have faced medical and personal crisis.
Max Clingaman was described as the most helpful person in the neighborhood. He cleans snow from driveways, assists older adults and helps anyone who needs help with grass mowing, fertilizing, leaf pickup or whatever needs to be done, including watching homes while people are on vacation.
Bill and Linda Cochran have a long history of service to their small town community. Now retired, the couple have served on the Bell Memorial Library board and are still active raising funds for the library. Linda is a member of Bell Aircraft Museum board and Bill provides general maintenance for the museum. They were instrumental in bringing the traveling Vietnam Wall to Mentone. Both have been associated with the Mentone Volunteer Fire Department, are full-time caregivers to an elderly woman and provide meals for shut-ins. Bill provides handyman and other services for neighbors and helps area farmers at harvest time.
Denny Duncan was nominated by the mother of a child who attends Jefferson Elementary School, where Duncan is principal. His perseverance and dedication were noted in a number of ways. The nominator's oldest daughter spoke at sixth-grade graduation and said, "By fourth grade, I'd already learned that there is at least one great principal in the world. I also learned that the word 'principal' isn't as much about getting kids in trouble as it is about guiding, teaching respect, loving and having a lot of fun."
Stu Watkins has volunteered countless hours to improve his community of Claypool. His knowledge of construction has helped improve sidewalks and provide a privacy fence between a children's play area and nearby railroad. He volunteers at his church, staying after special events to clean up. As part of Claypool Good Neighbors, he volunteers his weekends to accomplish projects for the good of the entire community.
Al Sumpter is a devoted friend to Doug, a quadriplegic man he met at church and has visited Doug and his family to help in anyway he could. For four years, until a back injury and surgery left him unable to do so, Al brought Doug to church every Sunday, which meant arriving at Doug's home one to 1-1/2 hours before church to assist with morning care and get Doug into a wheelchair. Al also took Doug to work with him and to several Promise Keeper events out of town.
Other nominees recognized were: Debbie Anglin, Frank Barr, George Beecher, Gary Bowers, Kathryn Brown, Wendi Coburn, John H. Crum, Mary and Gene Dirck, Sondrea Hamilton, Barb Hawn, Barb Hoover, Jon Hoover, Martha Howard, Thomas Howard, Patrick Ilada, L. Dean Jansen, Candi Kintzel, Sharon Morrow, Pat Mast, George Macdonald, Tami Miller, Thelma Mowat, Maccie Pulliam, Penny Ramos, Perry Rogers, Wanda Rogers, Wera Shepherd, Christiana Smith, Sherry Sparkman, Jon Sroufe, Carol Stanton, Paula Stringer, Robin Urso, Davita Wall and Danny Warrick.
Each of the 47 Heart of Gold nominees was given the opportunity to recommend a grant in their name and honor to the area charitable organization of their choice.
The Heart of Gold committee included Marsha Cook, Jeff Hankins, Pam Messmore, Libbie Tom, John Warren and Scott Wiley. Special thanks were given to Al Disbro, photographer, and to National City Bank for their support of the Heart of Gold awards. [[In-content Ad]]
The 2005 Heart of Gold Awards reception, presented by Kosciusko County Community Foundation Inc., was held Tuesday at Center Lake Pavilion. Forty-seven individuals were recognized for having hearts of gold. The welcome was given by Bob Condon, KCCF board president, and the invocation was by the Rev. Jerry Yoder. Suzie Light, executive director of KCCF, spoke about how the annual Heart of Gold awards help the Foundation fulfill its mission.
The keynote address by Ken Locke focused on Thaddeus Kosciuszko and the philanthropic nature of his life.
Nominees and nominators were presented, with the nominees receiving an envelope and a Heart of Gold pin, and they had their photos taken with their nominators.
Dr. Ron Manahan, a KCCF board member, highlighted 10 Heart of Gold nominations to share with those in attendance.
Nominees recognized were:
Carrie Yocum, who has used her background in social work and her teaching position to mentor social work students at Grace College, many of whom continue to seek her guidance after graduation. She has brought her expertise to several volunteer boards, including Combined Community Services and Cardinal Center.
Merae Meek, a mother of six, works at Warsaw Community High School, is a middle school cheerleading coach, manages concessions and works extracurricular events at the high school. One of her nominators is an exchange student from Sierra Leone, who she helped expose to American culture. He has so enjoyed spending time with Merae and her family, that he asked to come live with them and Merae and her family agreed. They are now helping prepare the exchange student for college.
June Stealy goes above and beyond her duties as a speech therapist for young children. She works extra hours and travels in bad weather to ensure that each child receives the utmost attention and service. In her personal time, she searches for inexpensive toys that might motivate a child and provides homemade snacks to reward their attempts. She enrolled in a Spanish class to better communicate with Spanish-speaking children.
Sally Mahnken received numerous nominations from volunteers to the program she administers for abused and neglected children. She teaches and encourages volunteers from all walks of life to gain the skill and confidence needed to represent a child's best interest in a court setting. Her efforts to bring Kosciusko County's CASA program to be recognized as one of the best in Indiana and nationally were also noted.
Dr. Jennifer Brumfield, principal of Warsaw Community High School, has gained the respect of teachers and students alike with her unselfish approach to school administration. In addition to recognizing student achievement and establishing a school climate of respect and pride, she also has provided emotional support for faculty at her school who have faced medical and personal crisis.
Max Clingaman was described as the most helpful person in the neighborhood. He cleans snow from driveways, assists older adults and helps anyone who needs help with grass mowing, fertilizing, leaf pickup or whatever needs to be done, including watching homes while people are on vacation.
Bill and Linda Cochran have a long history of service to their small town community. Now retired, the couple have served on the Bell Memorial Library board and are still active raising funds for the library. Linda is a member of Bell Aircraft Museum board and Bill provides general maintenance for the museum. They were instrumental in bringing the traveling Vietnam Wall to Mentone. Both have been associated with the Mentone Volunteer Fire Department, are full-time caregivers to an elderly woman and provide meals for shut-ins. Bill provides handyman and other services for neighbors and helps area farmers at harvest time.
Denny Duncan was nominated by the mother of a child who attends Jefferson Elementary School, where Duncan is principal. His perseverance and dedication were noted in a number of ways. The nominator's oldest daughter spoke at sixth-grade graduation and said, "By fourth grade, I'd already learned that there is at least one great principal in the world. I also learned that the word 'principal' isn't as much about getting kids in trouble as it is about guiding, teaching respect, loving and having a lot of fun."
Stu Watkins has volunteered countless hours to improve his community of Claypool. His knowledge of construction has helped improve sidewalks and provide a privacy fence between a children's play area and nearby railroad. He volunteers at his church, staying after special events to clean up. As part of Claypool Good Neighbors, he volunteers his weekends to accomplish projects for the good of the entire community.
Al Sumpter is a devoted friend to Doug, a quadriplegic man he met at church and has visited Doug and his family to help in anyway he could. For four years, until a back injury and surgery left him unable to do so, Al brought Doug to church every Sunday, which meant arriving at Doug's home one to 1-1/2 hours before church to assist with morning care and get Doug into a wheelchair. Al also took Doug to work with him and to several Promise Keeper events out of town.
Other nominees recognized were: Debbie Anglin, Frank Barr, George Beecher, Gary Bowers, Kathryn Brown, Wendi Coburn, John H. Crum, Mary and Gene Dirck, Sondrea Hamilton, Barb Hawn, Barb Hoover, Jon Hoover, Martha Howard, Thomas Howard, Patrick Ilada, L. Dean Jansen, Candi Kintzel, Sharon Morrow, Pat Mast, George Macdonald, Tami Miller, Thelma Mowat, Maccie Pulliam, Penny Ramos, Perry Rogers, Wanda Rogers, Wera Shepherd, Christiana Smith, Sherry Sparkman, Jon Sroufe, Carol Stanton, Paula Stringer, Robin Urso, Davita Wall and Danny Warrick.
Each of the 47 Heart of Gold nominees was given the opportunity to recommend a grant in their name and honor to the area charitable organization of their choice.
The Heart of Gold committee included Marsha Cook, Jeff Hankins, Pam Messmore, Libbie Tom, John Warren and Scott Wiley. Special thanks were given to Al Disbro, photographer, and to National City Bank for their support of the Heart of Gold awards. [[In-content Ad]]