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Posted on May 04, 2011 12:40
Gilmores Named Yankton Volunteers Of The Year
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| Tom and Jane Gilmore were named the Yankton Volunteers of the Year for 2010 at a banquet honoring all Yankton volunteers Tuesday night. The Gilmores volunteer with several different organizations locally, statewide and internationally. (Kelly Hertz/P&D) |
Published: Wednesday, May 4, 2011 12:21 AM CDT
When it came time for local volunteer leaders to choose someone as the 2010 Yankton Volunteer of the year, all they really had to do was start with the alphabet — as in “A” for the month of August.
That’s the month that Tom and Jane Gilmore were chosen as Volunteers of the Month last year.
On Tuesday night, they won the award for the year.
“I cannot say enough about how much these two have given to the community,” said United Way executive director Pam Kettering. “They do volunteer work where others haven’t even thought about going. Dr. Gilmore took care of moms and babies on the reservation during his medical career, so he knows the conditions that needed to be met. Jane has always just been in the middle of where there was a need and dug in. It doesn’t matter what kind of work there is, they are working hard.”
The Gilmores, as well as all of the 2010 monthly award winners, were recognized Tuesday during a banquet at the Human Services Center Chapel.
The Gilmores both said they feel all volunteers deserve the recognition, not just them.
“Everybody deserves this,” Tom said. “I suppose winning this award is a challenge — a challenge to keep on doing it. To keep working.
“There is a volunteer opportunity for everyone; it is out there. Just keep looking. There are so many needs in so many different places, that people just need to keep searching until they find something they love doing and can volunteer to do.”
Jane explained that they grew up in families where volunteering was a way of life, so it is something they have always done.
However, both Gilmores were very thankful for the award.
“The Gilmores are extraordinary people,” Kettering said. “They have helped people for years. Every month when we award the volunteer of the month award, they say, ‘We don’t deserve this, there are others that have done more than I have.’”
Kettering said the Gilmores were chosen because, “when we started looking at the sheer number of things (they) are doing for our community and other communities both around the state and across the world, we knew they were our volunteers of the year.”
According to Kettering, the Gilmores volunteer tirelessly. Between taking loads of supplies to the Rosebud Reservation, supplies to Marty in response to flooding or riding bikes in Minnesota’s Habitat For Humanity 500 fundraising event, the Gilmores find the time to do even more in the community of Yankton. Jane volunteers with Habitat for Humanity. Tom serves as vice president of the Tree of Life relief agency and has made several trips to Haiti. Together, they serve as hospice care providers for Avera Sacred Heart.
Kettering said the Yankton community is blessed to have so many volunteers at its disposal.
“We tried to count the number of volunteers here in Yankton,” she said. “If you start talking about numbers of volunteers it exceeds the population of the community because our volunteers volunteer at so many different places. ... People just get up, get out and get going helping others. It is just amazing.”
It’s a trait that Kettering says is typical of volunteers in Yankton. She knows because of her 20-plus years of serving with volunteers in the Yankton community — a fact that was also honored Tuesday night with a special presentation and gift of a quilt.
“Volunteers are very special people and that is why it is so nice to work with them,” she said. “We cannot thank the volunteers in this community enough. Everyday, we should be thanking them for making this community the quality place that it is. I will catch myself thinking, what if we didn’t have volunteers doing this, or volunteers doing that and that is not the case. If there is a need, people step up to the plate. We have wonderful people here.”
The other nominees for volunteer of the year were also honored through out the last year with volunteer of the month awards. They are: January — Tyler Frick; February — Allison Spak; March — Deb Broders; April — Helen Miller; May — Pam Erickson; June — Larry and Linda Kollars; July — Fernande (Nona) Bitsos; September — Loy Gravholt; October — Priscella Mazourek; November — Joyce Newman; December — Marcy Brown.
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