Spirit of Volunteerism
2010 Award Winners
YOUTH CATEGORY: Rachael Bjerke
Rachael Bjerke is the Children’s Dental Center & Parkway Orthodontics 2010 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. Rachael was presented with the award by Dr. JB Skibinski of the Children’s Dental Center at the May 4th event.
Two years ago, Rachael began volunteering at the Bowden Youth Center, a drop-in place for at-risk youth where they can find meals, snacks, tutoring, games and positive peer role model volunteers like Rachael. Despite living in Lennox, Rachael drives in to volunteer about five hours a week at the youth center, where she can be found reading books to younger children, playing games with older children and even interacting with teens her own age. Clint Richardson supervises the Bowden Youth Center, and said the 65 youth who come to the facility each day are in need of positive peer role models like Rachael. He said Rachael sets a positive example for the youth she sees each week, teaching them it’s cool to be smart, caring and responsible. On many occasions, youth who frequent the Bowden Youth Center confess to staff they want to be like Rachael: compassionate, focused on the future and headed for great achievements in life.
ADULT CATEGORY: Bashar F. Ismael
Bashar F. Ismael is the Argus Leader 2010 Spirit of Volunteerism Award winner 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. Randell Beck of the Argus Leader presented Bashar with the award at the May 4th event.
In July of 2006, Bashar, a pediatric doctor in Baghdad, Iraq, was kidnapped and shot six times. He managed to escape to Syria, leaving his family & friends behind. On Sept. 11, 2009, he flew to his new home in South Dakota. But before he could find employment or drive a car, in the midst of major surgeries in Sioux Falls and at the Mayo Clinic, Bashar decided he wanted to help others. He immediately began volunteering by helping teach English classes through Lutheran Social Services Refugee & Immigration Center, focusing on lower-level classes for basic English learners. He works alongside the teaching staff with large classes, but also tutors individuals and small groups with specific challenges. English skills enable a newcomer to function as a productive member of society, and navigate all areas of their life, from employment to education to healthcare. He also gives time to newly relocated immigrant families, assisting them as they become acclimated to Sioux Falls, and has volunteered as an interpreter at Lutheran Social Services.
ADULT CATEGORY: Randy McDaniel
Randy McDaniel is the Mitel DataNet 2010 Spirit of Volunteerism Award winner 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. Bonnie Auch of Mitel DataNet presented Randy with the award at the May 4th event.
Randy was nominated by the Alzheimer’s Association South Dakota Office for a decade of educating others about Alzheimer’s Disease, and raising funds for the cause. Each year, Randy single-handedly produces and broadcasts a four-hour radio show called “An Afternoon to Remember” which includes personal interviews and feature presentations. Volunteering alone, it takes Randy hundreds of hours of study, research, interviewing, planning and recording promotional segments to bring this event to people in a five-state listening area. His employer, Results Radio, generously allows him to use their equipment to produce the show, but all of the work is done on Randy’s personal time. There are over 19,000 people in South Dakota affected by this disease, and Randy’s radio event helps connect families impacted by the disease with the services of the Alzheimer’s Association.
GROUP CATEGORY: Moving Assistance Program Directors
The Moving Assistance Program Directors are the First PREMIER Bank/PREMIER Bankcard 2010 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. Miles Beacom of First PREMIER Bank/PREMIER Bankcard presented the award to the group at the May 4th event.
It takes a special person to be on a board of directors, but it takes a truly dedicated, determined and empathetic person to be a Moving Assistance Program board member. This program is 100% volunteer run with no paid staff. The board members, Jon Carroll, Craig Friedel, David Grismer, James Horn, David Stetka and Alta Stetka, are “hands on” in helping low income people move to safer homes. The directors each volunteer to manage the Moving Assistance Program Hotline, rotating on-call a week at a time. They listen carefully to callers, and assess if the program can help. Once a move date is set, the directors inspect the home and determine the type of equipment needed. Then, volunteers are scheduled to assist with the moves, which now happen just about every weekend. The day of the move, this board supervises the volunteers, hauling boxes along with everyone else. The program focuses on moving low income families, elderly and disabled clients to safe homes. These people could not make such an important move on their own. The Moving Assistance Program Directors are there from the first call, to when the last box is hauled.
CORPORATE HUMANITARIAN:
Tires Tires Tires Inc.
Tires Tires Tires Inc. received one of two Spirit of Volunteerism Corporate Humanitarian Awards May 4th. 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 of Sioux Falls presented this award.
Tires Tires Tires was nominated by Life 96.5. Owners Dale & Dan Nothdurft had a vision to provide safe, reliable vehicles at no cost to community members in need. They had the tools, the time and the talent to donate, but needed the cars. Life 96.5 loved the idea, and told listeners about the cause through the on-air Angel Cars Promotion. The goal was 10 donated cars – and Tires Tires Tires received 75. Some could be repaired, others were used for parts. In the end, 41 needy families received vehicles to help with transportation for daycare, school and work by partnering with Wheels to Work. Tires Tires Tires generously donated more than $35,000 in repairs to these cars. Each car was worked on with care, making sure all cars were going to be reliable and safe. Their efforts have made it possible for single-parent families to find self sufficiency, and hope for a brighter future.
CORPORATE HUMANITARIAN:
Evangelical Lutheran Good Samaritan Society
The employees of Evangelical Lutheran Good Samaritan Society received one of two Spirit of Volunteerism Corporate Humanitarian Awards May 4. 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 of Sioux Falls presented the award at the May 4th event.
Eight years ago, John F. Kennedy Elementary only had four mentors, a very low number for the largest elementary school in the district. Unfortunately, many of the youth at the school faced family concerns, financial hardships, academic stress and mental health issues. The employees of Evangelical Lutheran Good Samaritan Society got involved with the Lutheran Social Services School-Based Mentor Program, and began volunteering to fix this problem. The employees are matched with a mentee, and spend one hour a week with that youth. While they typically play games, work on homework or do crafts, the bond that forms between the mentors and the youth help the students build self esteem, do better in school and build healthier relationships with other kids. Often, many at-risk youth move frequently and shuffle between schools. Good Samaritan employees often follow their student from school to school, providing their mentee with a stable adult role model. If a mentee leaves Sioux Falls, the Good Samaritan employee agrees to take on another student and face the challenge of mentoring once again.
2010 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 4:
- Jenna Headrick, Brandon Valley High School
- Lauren Callis, Washington High School
- Caitlin Hodne, Canton High School
- Jace Bunkers, Roosevelt High School
- Tracy Zhou , Lincoln High School
- Amanda Johnson, Roosevelt High School
Volunteer of the Month
MetaBank President Kathy Thorson honored the following Volunteers of the Month at the Spirit of Volunteerism Awards May 4: Karen Muth, nominated by Avera Prince of Peace; Kaye LaFollette, nominated by Sanford USD Medical Center; Robert Graff, nominated by Center for Active Generations; Bob & Joan Hall, nominated by Washington Pavilion of Arts & Science; Clint Baldwin, nominated by Avera McKennan Hospital; Craig Hanson, nominated by Western Heights Apartments; Andrine Stricherz, nominated by Center for Active Generations; Laura Roos, nominated by Big Brothers Big Sisters; Chad VanderPoel, nominated by Volunteers of America, Dakotas; Margaret Farrington, nominated by Good Samaritan Society Prairie Creek; David Quiring, nominated by Sertoma Butterfly House; Dom Boyer and Dan Jiao, nominated by Outdoor Campus.
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, Mitel DataNet, 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.
View 2009 Spirit of Volunteerism Winners!