At the annual Volunteer Appreciation luncheon hosted by the staff of the Casey Eye Institute on Thursday June 23rd, Elk lodge members who volunteer at the eye clinic received The President’s Volunteer Service Award.

Elk lodge members from the Metro and North Central Oregon districts have manned the information desk at the eye clinic since it opened in July 1991. Elk volunteers provide more than 7,500 hours per year. Elk volunteers are usually the first people that eye clinic patients and family members encounter upon arriving for their appointments. Elk volunteers perform a number of interesting duties, some include; welcoming patients, giving directions to patient appointments, calling medical transport and taxi’s, bringing surgery patients down from the 6th floor post-op room to their waiting transport and (as needed) prepare mailings.

This was the first year Elk volunteers received this award. The Elk volunteers were nominated under the “Family and Group” category.

Receiving the award were:

President’s Call to Service Award Hershel Dennis, 9842 hours; Dottie Strong, 6474 hours.
Gold Award Tony Tucker, 3690 hours; Eleanor Brown, 3543 hours; Bruce Reed, 2931 hours; Louise Strasbury, 2516 hours; Patricia Chapman, 2375 hours; Mary Church, 2349 hours; Mel Walker, 2250 hours; Sandy Heermann, 1866 hours; Sharon Zelter, 1390 hours; Lois Freeman, 1331 hours; Shirley Stanbaugh, 1087 hours.
Silver Award Rosie Robinette, 827 hours; Margie Szmania, 548 hours; Paul Heermann, 529 hours; Nancy Rattey, 522 hours.
Bronze Award Carol Rogers, 452 hours; Joyce Herbst, 228 hours.

About the Award

America has a long and proud tradition of volunteer service. Now more than ever, volunteers are renewing their commitment to helping others and making new connections that bring us closer together as families, as neighbors, as communities, and as a Nation.

The President's Council on Service and Civic Participation (the Council) was established in 2003 to recognize the valuable contributions volunteers are making in our communities and encourage more people to serve. The Council created the President’s Volunteer Service Award program as a way to thank and honor Americans who, by their demonstrated commitment and example, inspire others to engage in volunteer service.

Recognizing and honoring volunteers sets a standard for service, encourages a sustained commitment to civic participation, and inspires others to make service a central part of their lives. The President’s Volunteer Service Award recognizes individuals, families, and groups that have achieved a certain standard – measured by the number of hours of service over a 12-month period or cumulative hours earned over the course of a lifetime.

Lodge members delivered Christmas food baskets to 260 needy families.

Lodge members delivered holiday food baskets to 850 needy families. The baskets contained a total of about 80,000 cans of nonperishable food.

Lodge held its annual Children's Christmas Party for more than 200 children, including children from the community and relatives of lodge members. Partygoers were treated to snacks, dance performances by lodge dance troupe and the Sweet Creek Youth Ballet, a pinata game, and a visit with Santa, who gave each child a candy cane.

In other news, the lodge hosted a Community Appreciation Christmas Dinner and treated 425 people from the community to a full Christmas dinner at the lodge. Lodge members also gave baskets to several lucky attendees who held winning tickets.