20 Plymouth Volunteers Recognized With Service Awards (Part III)

In honor of the 20th anniversary of the city of Plymouth's volunteer program, the city recognized 20 of its top volunteers at a recognition event June 27 at the Hilde Performance Center.

Volunteers past and present were invited to enjoy free ice cream before a performance of the Wild Goose Chase Cloggers. Then 20 volunteers chosen by a committee for their significant impact during the past 20 years were honored and brought up on stage.

Plymouth's Volunteer Coordinator Jackie Maas spoke about each volunteer or volunteer group and introduced them during the event.

Check out the video with this post that includes four of the 20 volunteers being introduced at the June 27 event. The following volunteers recognized included (blurbs quote Maas):

Liga Hanson

Liga has contributed nearly 900 hour of service during the past seven years at the Millennium Garden and with other various clerical projects across the institution. Liga dead-heads, sweeps walkways and picks up cigarette butts so that wedding parties and guests to the garden can fully enjoy it. One of her two nominators wrote: 'Liga truly embodies the spirit of volunteerism; she quietly and cheerfully goes about her business while seeking no personal accolades. I affectionately call her our Millennium Garden Fairy.'"

The Plymouth Home Depot 

"Nearly 100 employees of Home depot have contributed almost 500 hours in the past year alone. And please note that the time the employees donate is off the clock. They have adopted the cemetery at Parker’s Lake, and by trimming trees, righting grave stones, clearing out brush and more, have given it a much needed face lift. In addition, their crew has fixed the Park’s Lake fishing pier, refurbished the stage there, refinished bathrooms at Plymouth Creek Center and has committed to building a storage shed at the Plymouth Ice Center. Their nominator wrote: 'Home Depot is a great community partner for the city of Plymouth. The care they have shown for the community is exceptional.' I would personally echo that. This weekend, I received an email from Travis Longacre, the store manager, asking what they could do to help after the terrible storms we endured. In addition to cleaning up their own adopted parks, they sent out a crew today to assist elderly residents along 50th Ave N."

John & Paula Kaminski

"Combined, John and Paula have contributed nearly 1,200 hours of service, but I have a feeling that that number should be much higher. John volunteered in the Public Safety and IT departments, various special events and the Senior Corps. Paula assisted with various data entry and clerical projects in Administration, IT, Park & Rec, and special events.  We worked them so hard that they had to retire from volunteering and move to Florida in 2011. Thankfully they had plans to be in town this week for a family wedding and so were able to join us tonight."

Leanne Loren 

"Leanne has contributed more than 600 hours during 19 years of volunteering with the city, while assuming increased levels of responsibility, including being designated as our first special event captain. She also volunteers as a Garden Wedding Coordinator and assists with Team Green Tree and the Millennium Garden. One of her two nominators wrote: 'Leanne is a gifted project manager and problem solver who brings energy and enthusiasm to her volunteer work.' Her other nominator wrote: 'Every year she steps up as a very visible leader at multiple events – providing outstanding service and an excellent role model for other volunteers to emulate. Her enjoyment of and commitment to City events and programs has inspired other volunteers to step forward and take on more.' If you’ve ever had a good time at Fire & Ice, Plymouth on Parade, the Yard & Garden Expo, Halloween at the Creek, you should probably thank Leanne.'"