Volunteers Honored with Community Awards

Seven dedicated Life Enrichment Center volunteers were honored at the Sixteenth Annual Appalachian Unsung Hero Awards held at Sinclair Community College on May 11, 2012.

The Outstanding Community Outreach Award was presented to Ellen Shelley (pictured on the far right). Ellen serves as the Director of Health and Education at the Life Enrichment Center. In this volunteer role, Ellen ensures that regular classes at the Life Enrichment Center have dedicated teachers and that course offerings are beneficial to the clients at the Center. She also heads up the semi-annual health fairs at the center connecting participants with multiple community health organizations. She is also the point of contact for the annual Kidney Foundation screening event hosted at the LEC. These events provide critical access to health screening and health education in the East Dayton community. Congratulations Ellen for this well deserved recognition!!

The Rev. Bright and Rev. Puff Outstanding Religious Outreach Award was presented to the following group of Life Enrichment Center Volunteers (pictured left to right): Ruby Cox, Joanna Mount, Judi Stringer, Thomas Phelps, Dottie Jackson, and Karen Alice. At the LEC, Karen serves as the Manager of Client Services and Registration. Thomas and Dottie serve in the Food Distribution Department while Ruby volunteers in Client Services. Ruby also initiated and ran, for the first time this year, a Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program at the LEC. Joanna serves as an Educational Administrative Assistant along with Judi, who also is the LEC statistician. The daily work that goes on at the LEC could not be done without the selfless service of each of these individuals. Congratulations go to each of them for receiving this award

The purpose of the Appalachian Unsung Hero Awards is to recognize “unsung heroes”who have performed good deeds and built pride and self-esteem but have gone unnoticed or unrewarded for their exceptional efforts. Nominees for awards must meet the definition of Appalachian as per federal government guidelines; or must have demonstrated outstanding service within the Appalachian community. Sinclair Community College’s Appalachian Outreach Committee strives to provide the Appalachian community with programs and community services which serve to eliminate barriers and ensure access to the learning process.