Volunteer of the Month
The Volunteer of the Month Award, sponsored by Metabank, is given each month to a volunteer, or a group of volunteers, who exhibit an outstanding commitment to volunteer service. Winners r
eceive a personalized thank you letter from Sioux Falls Mayor Mike Huether, plus a certificate of appreciation. The winners are also honored on an annual basis at the Spirit of Volunteerism Awards.
Do you know an outstanding volunteer? Click here to make a nomination.
August Volunteer of the Month
The HELP!Line Center congratulates Rachael Bjerke on being named the August 2010 Volunteer of the Month Award winner. The award's sponsor, MetaBank, helped present Rachael with the honor this week. She was nominated by the Bowden Youth Center.
Part of the mission at the Bowden is to provide youth with a fun, positive place to go after school and in the evenings. Bowden staff say volunteers are a huge part of what they do and a huge help to the staff and kids alike. Bowden volunteer Rachael Bjerke is an example of a "perfect" Bowden volunteer.
Rachael has made a huge time commitment to the Bowden. She has been coming to the center, giving at least five hours a week, for well over two years. That's a lot of time for a high school student that lives all the way in Lennox and needs to drive in to volunteer. She has built a network of relationships with Bowden kids and teens, and is willing to help out in any way that benefits the center. Rachael knows the youth at the Bowden well because she's been dedicated to playing games, talking, listening and eating supper with them weekly for over two years, and she has gained their trust by being a consistent, kind, caring volunteer. Rachael recently graduated from high school and has enlisted in the guards.
MetaBank and the HELP!Line recently celebrated Rachael, giving her a framed certificate, plus a letter from the Mayor of Sioux Falls. She will also be honored at the Spirit of Volunteerism Awards next May.
For information on volunteer opportunities, please call the HELP!LIne Center at 211 or visit www.helplinecenter.org.
Photo: MetaBank representative Mike Meehan helped congratulate Rachael Bjerke on winning the Volunteer of the Month Award.