Spirit of Volunteerism
2009 Award Winners
YOUTH CATEGORY: SARAH FRIEDEL
Sarah Friedel is the 2009 Children’s Dental Center & Parkway Orthodontics Spirit of Volunteerism Award winner in the Youth Category. The Spirit of Volunteerism Luncheon is an annual project of the HELP!Line Center. This event honors volunteers in the Sioux Empire area for the impact they make on the community. Dr. JB Skibinsksi presented Sarah with the award at the May 5 event.
At 6 am Saturday mornings, Sarah Friedel is out serving others through the Moving Assistance Program. She has worked hand in hand with families in need, people with disabilities, domestic abuse victims and the elderly to help them move from unsafe living conditions to better permanent homes. Sarah started with the Moving Assistance Program as a box mover, helping with moves every weekend. She now takes on the role of lead volunteer, training and leading other volunteers. She also makes herself available for emergency moves, asking nothing afterward except, “Who are we helping next?” She looks past dust, filthy carpets, cockroaches and spiders to truly see the person in need, and how she can help. She also notices other needs of the people she serves, helping one single mom get food for her kids on the weekend of their move. Sarah’s passion for helping everyone live in safe homes, plus her empathy for those in need, truly exemplifies the Spirit of Volunteerism.
ADULT CATEGORY: OPAL HUCKFELDT
Opal Huckfeldt is one of two 2009 First PREMIER/PREMIER Bankcard Spirit of Volunteerism Award winners in the Adult Category. The Spirit of Volunteerism Luncheon is an annual project of the HELP!Line Center. This event honors volunteers in the Sioux Empire for the impact they make on the community. Mike Huether of First PREMIER/PREMIER Bankcard presented Opal with her award at the May 5 event.
Opal first became a Senior Companion in 1980. Senior Companion volunteers help seniors and people with disabilities to stay living independently. Opal has served with Senior Companions for a total of 14 years. Currently, she serves 9 people and volunteers 18 hours a week. That’s over 78 hours each month, and 13,100 total hours during her Senior Companions involvement. At just under 89 years of age, Opal is a driving companion for fellow seniors. She uses her own car to drive her clients wherever they need to go, including to doctor appointments, to the bank and to the store. Her time allows other seniors to gain back their independence. Opal is a cancer survivor herself, but you will never hear her talk about aches and pains. You will, however, see her helping others. Once you have met Opal, you will know she has a passion for serving others and that volunteerism helps keep her going. She will be the first to tell you she can’t just sit around doing nothing when others need assistance.
ADULT CATEGORY: JUDY HALLSTROM
Judy Hallstrom is one of two 2009 First PREMIER/PREMIER Bankcard Spirit of Volunteerism Award winners in the Adult Category. The Spirit of Volunteerism Luncheon is an annual project of the HELP!Line Center. This event honors volunteers in the Sioux Empire area for the impact they make on the community. Mike Huether of First PREMIER/PREMIER Bankcard presented Opal with her award at the May 5 event.
Judy was one of the first people to step up for the call to duty when the Sioux Falls Area Court Appointed Special Advocate program started in 1995. She remains a dedicated volunteer to this day, serving the best interests of children as their families go through the court process because of child abuse and neglect. Judy has given over 1,200 hours of her time, helping 34 children involved in 15 cases of abuse and neglect through the years. Cases can often last 12 months or more. Judy spends time with the children, families and others involved in each case before making a report to the court. Her input is valuable as the courts decide to either reunite the family or terminate parental rights for the good of the child. Judy’s efforts give the child a voice in the adult court process. Judy works full time in addition to her volunteer efforts, and also serves as a foster parent.
GROUP CATEGORY: THERAPY DOGS INTERNATIONAL
CHAPTER 200
Therapy Dogs International Chapter 200: Sioux Empire volunteers are the 2009 Argus Leader Spirit of Volunteerism Award winner in the Group Category. The Spirit of Volunteerism Luncheon is an annual project of the HELP!Line Center. This event honors volunteers in the Sioux Empire area for the impact they make on the community. Randell Beck of the Argus Leader presented the group with the award at the May 5 event.
The volunteers for Therapy Dogs International believe there is nothing more touching than seeing a child who struggles reading to a dog, a senior petting a dog and remembering a pet from years past, or a hospice patient petting a dog for their last time. Members of this group volunteer with their trained therapy dogs. To list a few of their activities, the group has 22 teams devoting 1 hour per week to 5 area schools’ reading programs. On Wednesdays and Saturdays, the dogs and owners go to 20 retirement homes. On Wednesdays and Thursdays, the teams are at Sanford, and the dogs also help with grief therapy at funeral homes. The dogs are the pets of the volunteers, who also must feed, groom, train and love their dogs each day. Each dog is specially trained and certified. In the past year, the dogs and their owners have impacted over 300 children learning to read, the 700+ residents of 15 retirement communities each month, 50 to 60 patients at Sanford Medical Center weekly, and Avera Hospice monthly. Studies show pet therapy dogs help decrease blood pressure, stress and depression for those they encounter. No matter where they are serving, faces light up in smiles when the dogs arrive to visit.
CORPORATE HUMANITARIAN:
HOLIDAY INN CITY CENTRE
Holiday Inn City Centre received one of two Spirit of Volunteerism Corporate Humanitarian Awards May 5. Independent Insurance Agents of Sioux Falls sponsors this award. The Spirit of Volunteerism Luncheon is an annual event held by the HELP!Line Center. This event celebrates the impact volunteers make on the Sioux Empire community. Amy Olson-Miller of Independent Insurance Agents presented the Holiday Inn with the award at the event.
The Holiday Inn City Centre has been a strong supporter of Bethany Christian Services since 2004. The Holiday Inn provides affordable venues for Bethany events, dedicated volunteers to help put together fundraisers, and even provides rooms for families in need of Bethany services who travel to Sioux Falls from out of town. Holiday Inn General Manger Tom Bosch leads his team in giving back as a company. He is involved with many local organizations including the Sioux Empire United Way, The Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce, Rotary, Make a Wish and the Red Cross. He also asks his staff to volunteer, giving them work hours to help their community. Together, the staff at the Holiday Inn City Centre volunteer about 2,000 hours annually, striving to enhance the lives of others in their community by bringing passion and commitment to all they do.
CORPORATE HUMANITARIAN:
OUTBACK STEAKHOUSE
Outback Steakhouse received one of two Spirit of Volunteerism Corporate Humanitarian Awards May 5. Independent Insurance Agents of Sioux Falls sponsors this award. The Spirit of Volunteerism Luncheon is an annual event held by the HELP!Line Center. This event celebrates the impact volunteers make on the Sioux Empire community. Amy Olson-Miller of Independent Insurance Agents presented the Holiday Inn with the award at the event.
Outback Steakhouse partners with the Community Blood Bank for the largest one-day blood drive yearly. This event is always scheduled for July, when blood donations are at their lowest and need for blood is at its greatest. Proprietor Bryce Kingsbury graciously donates his staff’s time, supplies and food for over 300 blood donors at the “No Worries” blood drive. Through rain, shine or intense heat, all donors get rib eyes and salad for their donation. About 1,340 units of blood have been collected over the 8 years of this event. With this life saving blood, 4,020 hospital patients have been affected. In addition, Outback Steakhouse also hosts the Heroes appreciation lunch at the end of the Heroes Behind Badges annual blood drive. With the support of Outback Steakhouse, over 8,000 units of blood have been collected at this event throughout the years.
2008 CITI YOUTH LEADERSHIP AWARDS
Six Sioux Empire high school students were recently selected as Citi Youth Leadership Award winners. These scholarships are given to area high school seniors who have volunteered over 100 hours of service to their community in the past year. The youth each received a $1,000 scholarship from Ken Stork of Citi at the Spirit of Volunteerism Awards on May 5.
Winners are:
¨ Rachel Soyland, Roosevelt High School in Sioux Falls
¨ Emily Sazama, Harrisburg High School
¨ Joshua Viet, Marion High School
¨ Trevor Carlson, Lincoln High School in Sioux Falls
¨ Jordan Fiegen, O’Gorman High School in Sioux Falls
¨ Katie Rall, Brandon Valley High School in Brandon
Volunteer of the Month
Kathy Thorson of MetaBank recognized the following MetaBank Volunteers of the Month at the Spirit of Volunteerism Awards on
May 5:
Char Wollan and Jerry Ourada, Donna Klein, Carol Turgeon, Bonnie Postma, Dale Schmidt, JoAnn Wagner,Christel Schroeder, Nila Christiansen, Harry Swank, Rosalie Riswold-Brende, Jonathan Vasa and Robert Black.
The Spirit of Volunteerism awards are made possible through the generous support of the Independent Insurance Agents of Sioux Falls, Children’s Dental Center & Parkway Orthodontics, First PREMIER Bank/PREMIER Bankcard and the Argus Leader. Winners of the Spirit of Volunteerism Awards in the Youth, Adult and Group Categories received a $500 gift to be awarded to a non-profit, charitable organization of his/her choice. Citi also honors Citi Youth Leadership Award recipients at this event, and Metabank also honors Volunteers of the Month Award winners. Midcontinent Communications sponsored a commemorative program for the event.