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"Inspire by
Example" Volunteer Recognition
In its 22nd year, the Bemidji Volunteer Directors and the United Way
of Bemidji Area look forward to recognizing outstanding adults, youths
and groups/families who dedicate their time and talents to enhance
lives and strengthen the Bemidji community.
If you know of a deserving volunteer, please nominate them today.
The deadline is March 14.
 Volunteer of the
Year nomination form
doc. or
.pdf
Youth Volunteer
of the Year nomination form
.doc or
.pdf
Group/Family Volunteer
of the Year nomination form
.doc or
.pdf
Lifetime
Achievement in Volunteerism nomination form
.doc or
.pdf
Congratulations
to the 2010 volunteers!
Special thanks to our 2010
selection committee:
Jenny Day, Sue Engel and Di Pickett
2010 Lifetime Achievement in Volunteerism
ANN DALEY
Nominated by:
Ardis Lucken, Jesica Conrad,
Diane Engel, Deb Heineman
Ann Daley has been
honored with the 2010 Bemidji “Inspire by Example” Lifetime
Achievement in Volunteerism award for her over 30 years of
volunteering in the Bemidji community.
In 1978, Ann began
working as a certified diabetes educator and was facilitating an “I
Can Cope” cancer support group. One of the participants ordered a “How
to Start a Hospice” manual, presented it to Ann saying, “Here, we need
hospice in this community.” Ann helped to establish the current
hospice program, serving on the original steering committee and later
on the Board of Directors, and was a patient care volunteer.
“Ann Daley is truly the ‘Queen of Hospice,’ for without her charisma,
charm, and connections with others in the health care community this
might not have happened in 1980. She has truly worked tirelessly to
improve the quality of life for people in many ways,” states Jesica
Conrad, Assistant Director of North Country Hospice.
Ann has been a part
of the RSVP/America Reads program for the past 9 years. She is a
guest reader volunteering in Paul Daman’s 4th grade
classroom at Northern Elementary School and has in the past read to 2nd
graders. Ann, with the help of the students, chooses the books,
reads to the class, and then engages the children in discussion
afterwards. Daman states, “I have had the pleasure of getting to
know Ann these past few years. She has volunteered as a reader and
singer in our classroom for many moons. More than this, she has served
as a friend and community liaison to me and as a role model
grandparent to many of our children. If you are fortunate enough to
know Ann, you are blessed. We consider ourselves just that!”
Ardis Lucken, coordinator for the America Reads program agrees, “I
feel privileged to have her with RSVP and to know her on a personal
level. Ann is one of my best recruiters – she tells her friends
about my program and how much she enjoys it. Ann, and volunteers
like Ann, is what makes a program successful.”
For the Paul Bunyan
Senior Activity Center, Ann served on the Board of Directors from 1999
– 2008, serving as President for 5 of those years and currently writes
a monthly Primetime column in the Bemidji Pioneer on behalf of the
Center. “Her influences and the people she knows in the
community help her get things done. She is a very determined
lady when she sees a worthy cause,” says Diane Engel, Paul Bunyan
Senior Activity Center Director. “Ann is a dedicated leader who
knows the vision of the Senior Center, knows how to get there and
leads the way. She is passionate about the Senior Center’s
success.”
Ann also volunteers
at Neilson Place, serving on their Resident Care Council, conducting
worship services once a month as well as sharing her love of music and
talent for singing by playing for the residents on an on-going basis.
Ann has served on the Northwoods Interfaith Volunteer Caregivers and
Adult Day Services Board of Directors and recently joined the United
Way of Bemidji Area’s Board.
Ann served as the
volunteer coordinator for the Bemidji Community Food Shelf for 2
years, coordinating volunteers from member churches and the community
as a whole. She worked closely with the Food Shelf Board and was
a member of the Executive Board. She kept track of multiple food
drives and fundraisers benefiting the food shelf, all while directing
the day to day operations of the Food Shelf. According to Deb
Heineman, secretary of the Food Shelf, “She worked tirelessly during
her term for, and on behalf of, the Food Shelf and the hungry in our
community.”
 2010
Volunteer of the Year
TAMMY WALDHAUSEN
Nominated by:
Kim Zimmerman
Tammy Waldhausen has been
named Bemidji’s “Inspire by Example” Volunteer of the Year for her
dedication of time and volunteer services she offers the Sexual
Assault Program of Beltrami, Cass, and Hubbard Counties and other
community organizations; her compassion for the victims who call at
all hours of the day and night; and, her willingness to go above and
beyond to support the Sexual Assault Program mission.
For the Sexual Assault
Program of Beltrami, Cass, and Hubbard counties, Tammy has been a
sexual assault advocate for two years where she educates victims about
their rights and provides support to them. In 2009 she logged
721 volunteer hours, most of which were weekend hours, the hardest
hours to fill, which gives staff a much needed break. Waldhausen
takes calls on the crisis line, goes to the hospital or law
enforcement agency and meets with people one on one.
Kim Zimmerman, Volunteer
Coordinator for the Sexual Assault Program of Beltrami, Cass, and
Hubbard counties says this of Waldhausen, “Tammy gives up her weekends
and a good night’s sleep to hear the horrors of the world that exist
in secrecy to help those in need. She truly makes a difference
for each caller by helping guide him/her from victim to survivor.
Her volunteer history speaks for itself as far as dedication,
leadership, and EXTRAORDINARY service! She is someone we are
deeply proud to have in our organization and community. We get
compliments about her all the time. She should be an inspiration
to all that we should and can give back.”
Besides her volunteer work
at the Sexual Assault Program, Tammy serves on the Headwaters Alliance
for Suicide Prevention which helps educate and bring forth awareness
of the importance of suicide intervention and prevention. She
helped implement the 2009 5K Walk/Run for Suicide Awareness and is the
co-facilitator of the Headwaters Suicide Survivors Support Group.
She has met with Minnesota legislators in St. Paul to advocate for
suicide prevention programs that are badly needed in Beltrami County.
She is a past member of
the Special Education Advisory Committee for the Bemidji School
District where she helped to implement a summer program for children
with special needs and has served as Vice-President of ARC Headwaters,
a non-profit that offers advocacy and support for children and adults
with disabilities. She also served on a Parent Advisory Council
for Early Childhood Family Education (ECFE) by being a liaison for
parents who participate in the program.
Tammy also serves on the
Beltrami Child Abuse Prevention Council, which advocates for child
abuse awareness and prevention; has served as Vice-President of the
BSU Social Work Club, coordinating fundraising events and facilitating
meetings; founded and facilitates a mother/daughter group called
Empowerment Circle which focuses on strengthening the mother/daughter
relationships through civic engagement, volunteering, and education on
topics such as self-defense, stress management, peer pressure, sexual
abuse, and healthy relationships; and has been a religious formation
teacher at her church as well as volunteering in her children’s
schools.
 2010
Volunteer Group of the Year
SEXUAL ASSAULT PROGRAM -
VOLUNTEER ADVOCATES
Nominated by: Kim Zimmerman
The Sexual Assault Volunteer Advocates:
Fay
Yochum, Mike Zimmerman, Lisa Sandretzky, Cheyenne Velazquez, Jenna
Pulkrabek, Brenda Kolling, Beka Majava, Jayne Hanson, Breanna Priebe,
Tammy Waldhausen, Katie Haugan, Susan Yerhot, Rhonda Conn, Maggie
Robins, Heidi Johnson, Nicole Weber, Brooke Knisley, Annie Poole,
Brittany Freed, Valerie Benjamin, Mary Harding, Kay Martinson, and
Trista Knoll
are being recognized as Bemidji’s “Inspire by Example” Volunteer Group
of the Year for their time, support and inspirational dedication in
being available at the times when sexual assault victims and survivors
need support and for lending a hand when the Sexual Assault Program
needs extra help with day to day operations.
In 2009, this outstanding
group of volunteers logged 10,035 hours of volunteer time on the
Crisis Line, being available after hours to take calls from
victims/survivors who have questions or need help to make it through
the night. The Sexual Assault Program receives a high percentage
of “bad moment” calls in the middle of the night when the nightmares
take over, victims feel alone, and it feels like nobody cares.
It is these volunteer advocates who give each caller the much needed
lifeline to sanity and healing.
Volunteer advocates may be
called to the ER at a moment’s notice to help someone navigate the
unknown experience of a rape exam and to provide all necessary
information to make decisions that are right for each individual need.
The volunteers may continue to meet with the victims/survivors on an
on-going basis helping to following up with hospital staff or going
with them on referrals for support. If the victim chooses to
report and have the case go through the judicial system, volunteers
will go to court with or on behalf of the victim to keep them informed
of the process.
Combined, this group of
volunteers has over 65 years of experience, with two of the volunteers
being with the program for more than 10 years. Kim Zimmerman,
Volunteer Coordinator for the Sexual Assault Program, relies heavily
on these volunteers. “Sometimes victims/survivors get through
the night just knowing there is someone out there waiting for a call;
even if the volunteer doesn’t receive any calls that night they help
hundreds of victims/survivors by just being available. Imagine what
goes through the mind of the volunteer when the phone does rings –
they know the nature of the call but that does not prepare one for the
details. It could be as simple as a parent asking what behavior
is age appropriate for their child or something as terrible as a gang
rape. They hold the person’s spirit in their hands. What
they do and say makes a difference for that caller and starts the
caller on the process of moving from victim to survivor.”
Volunteers also go to a
chemical dependency treatment facility to meet with survivors who are
dealing with their chemical addictions. Zimmerman states, “For
many victims chemical use is the only way to escape the pain of the
abuse. While in treatment their drug of choice is taken away and
the raw pain of the abuse emerges. Our advocates assist the
survivor to make sense of the pain and see the correlation between
their substance abuse/addiction and their sexual abuse.”
In 2009, volunteers logged
an additional 827 hours doing community education to groups, schools,
and at information booths; training volunteers; and answering the
office phones to assist the Sexual Assault Program staff. These
volunteers are committed to helping cover the gap in staff caused by
budget cuts
 2010
Volunteer Youth of the Year
MYA
DOCKENDORF
Nominated by:
Kari Knudson
Mya Dockendorf has been
named Bemidji’s “Inspire by Example” Volunteer Youth of the Year for
her dedication of time and volunteer services she offers North Country
Regional Hospital.
Mya volunteers twice a
week at the North Country Regional Hospital East information desk. As
a part of her volunteer duties, Mya provides patient information to
visitors and clergy, gives directions to visitors, and escorts
visitors to various locations in the hospital. Mya delivers
flowers and packages to patients and works on a variety of other
clerical projects.
Kari Knudson, the
Volunteer Director at North Country Regional Hospital, has this to say
about Mya, “Over the course of the last two years Mya has grown as a
person. She started as a shy girl and has developed into a
confident young person. As Mya has become more comfortable at
North Country Regional Hospital, she has asked for additional
responsibilities.”
In addition to her East
Desk duties, Mya now monitors the hospital’s Dignity Closet, a program
of the hospital that provides patients whose clothing has been soiled
or ruined, with clothes to go home in. Mya stocks the closet,
inventories items, and then orders more clothing when needed.
She also organizes and compiles the “We Care’ receipts the hospital
collects as a fundraiser.
Mya is a sophomore at
Bemidji High School and also is active at St. Philips Church and in
the 4H.
2010 Volunteer Family of the Year
WALTERS
Nominated by:
Susan Hazard and Tracy Williams
Mike and Ruth Walters, along with
their children Keegan, age 11, and Ellen, age 8, have been named the
2010 Bemidji “Inspire by Example” Volunteer Family of the Year.
The Walters are being recognized for their spirit of volunteerism they
offer many organizations in the Bemidji community and for showing the
importance of parents getting their children involved to better the
community. The Walters Family was nominated by Tracy Williams
and Susan Hazard, Ruth’s co-workers at Pinnacle Publishing.
For the
past thirteen years, Ruth has played an instrumental role volunteering
her time answering phones during the Radio-thon to End Child Abuse.
In addition, Ruth has raised nearly $5000 for the cause by leading
fundraising events with her co-workers at Pinnacle Publishing.
Ruth has been a Girl Scout leader for two years and has helped her
son’s Cub Scout troop for the past six years. She is a strong
supporter of Headwaters Science Center, assisting with program
advertising and fundraising. An active volunteer with the Sacred
Heart Catholic Church in Wilton, she serves as the Youth Religious
Coordinator, creates weekly church bulletins and helps with church
fundraisers.
Ruth is a
leader for TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly,) has organized a group of
volunteers to answer phones for Lakeland Public TV’s membership drives
for the past 5 years, and has helped with the Special Olympics Track
and Field event. “Ruth exemplifies the definition of a
volunteer. Whether it is the demands of a parent volunteer for
her children’s activities, or helping with one of the many causes she
believes in, Ruth is always one of the people you can count on to
help,” states Williams and Hazard.
The
children, Keegan and Ellen, accompany Ruth on numerous activities and
enjoy helping out whenever asked. Last summer, Keegan and Ellen
helped Ruth plant the Girl Scout planter at the waterfront and went
every Friday to weed and maintain the box. They painted
fish for Headwaters Science Center to raise money for the new aquarium
and posed for the Science Center’s new brochure. Like their
mother, they enjoy volunteering their time and talents at church.
They help clean dishes and serve at the Sacred Heart Church Fall
dinner, they assisted with games at the Halloween party, and they
helped serve at the food booth at the Clearwater County Fair in Bagley.
Ruth hopes to instill a life-long love of volunteering in her
children, “In a few years I hope Keegan and Ellen will find an
organization or cause they are passionate about and volunteer. I hope
I am raising a 3rd generation of volunteers.”
While Mike’s work schedule makes it more difficult to volunteer with
the family, he provides a lot of support at home. Ruth states,
“We could never accomplish what we do without him.” Mike has
helped with the mulching at the Girl Scout planter, helps to sort Girl
Scout cookies, assists Keegan with his Cub Scout activities, and helps
Ruth prepare for projects at home.
Congratulations to the
2009 volunteers!
2009
Lifetime Achievement in Volunteerism
STEVE
INKEL
Nominated by: Erin Jalloh
2009 Family Volunteer of the Year
SCHRADER FAMILY
Nominated by: Capt. Robin Helgager
2009 Group Volunteer of the Year
NORTH COUNTRY HOSPICE
Volunteers:
Pat Lindseth, Margaret Griebel, Elaine Christensen, Mary Melchoir and
Judy Lee
Nominated by: Kay
Udey
2009 Youth Volunteer of the Year
BEAU BRAUN
Nominated by: Capt.
Robin Helgage
2009 Volunteer of the Year
PHYLLIS
"P.J." CASINELLI
Nominated by:
Steven
Strassuer
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