United Way honors volunteers in Whitfield and Murray counties whose service has exemplified a commitment to bring hope, promise, and opportunity to the lives of others.
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Volunteer Award Winners:
Roger Rollins’ commitment to Family Support Council’s Camp AIM program is inspiring. Family Support Council is a United Way Community Partner. Roger has provided breakfast and lunch meals to youth, staff, and volunteers at Camp AIM, a 2-week summer day camp for sexually abused children, for almost 10 years. He also recruits local vendors, restaurants, and volunteer servers and continues to go above and beyond what is asked of him. “Each one of us receives so much more than we give. The difference between the faces we see on Day 1 of Camp, versus the bright, confident faces we see at the closing ceremony, will keep us coming back to do this work every year for as long as we are able,” said Rollins. Roger's impact is transformational. Because of his dedication and commitment to his community, we present Roger Rollins with the Connie Woodward Award for Outstanding Volunteerism in Whitfield County.
Lori McDaniel gave a total of 670 hours in 2022 to make Murray County a better place. She has given 80+ hours to United Way Community Partner, Murray County 4-H Youth Leadership Organization. She is a member of their Program Development team, coaches the Cotton Boll and Consumer Judging Team, and chaperoned the 1-week trip to the State Congress speech competition this past summer. She strives to see the potential in all the 4-H’ers and truly wants “To Make the Best Better.” Lori is the President and Treasurer of Murray Arts Council. She has given 460+ hours to MAC to share her love of art with the citizens of Murray County. She truly “Lives United”. Because of her commitment to volunteering and her true example of servant leadership, we present Lori McDaniel with the Elaine Butler Award for Outstanding Volunteerism in Murray County.
In honor of the legacy of Elbert Shaw’s commitment to volunteer service and youth development, Shaw Industries annually partners with United Way of Northwest Georgia to offer two $5,000 scholarships for high school students. The Elbert Shaw Memorial Scholarship seeks to recognize young people who are active, empowered members of our community. The award recipients will be youth who work in cooperation with their peers and community leaders to create positive change in society, including identifying problems and implementing solutions. Tim Baucom, Stephanie Hogshead, and Hayley Poillucci presented the scholarships to Anna La and Parth Karande.
Parth Karande is a senior at Dalton High School. His passion for improving lives has led him to devote most of his time to volunteering. Parth is a member of Dalton High’s Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC), serving as the Battalion Commander. Under his leadership in JROTC, the team donated hundreds of baby products to Oak Haven and almost a thousand food cans to our local Providence Ministries. They also coordinated a Junior Achievement project with City Park Elementary School, where they tutored elementary students on finance topics through fun learning projects. Parth has also led volunteering events with the Chamber of Commerce, United Way, Providence Ministries, and National Honor Society, where they fed almost 3,000 citizens in the community for Thanksgiving and an additional 2,000 citizens on Christmas. Parth has also led blood drives at Dalton High School, helping to save lives. Altogether, Parth’s work and volunteerism have benefited thousands, from patients, doctors, community and business leaders, elders, people-in-need, and non-profit organizations to fellow students at school, school-sponsored clubs, teachers, and school administration. Parth is working with Dalton High School’s clubs to start new scholarship and recognition opportunities for high-achieving, exceptional students. In 2022, he collected over 680 volunteer hours, displaying his dedication to the community. Parth is continuing his education at either George Washington University, University of Georgia, or Georgia Institute of Technology, and plans to major in Mechanical Engineering.
Anna La is a senior at Dalton High School. Anna’s passion for improving lives has led her to devote much of her time to volunteering and creating many of her own volunteer events. Some of her volunteer efforts include:
- "Cats Community Clean-Up" - where she collected 34 bags of trash to keep it off the streets of our neighborhoods
- “Boys & Girls Club School Supply Trick-Or-Treat” - she collected over 1,000 school supplies and snacks for the youth with low-income families and the Boys and Girls Club
One of Anna’s favorite projects from this year has been her "Thankful for Literacy" book drive event. In November, Anna collected over 300 children's books for United Way's Summer reading program and Books for Change nonprofit organization going towards promoting early literacy and easier access to these resources. In 2022, Anna collected over 160+ volunteer hours, displaying her commitment to this community. Anna is looking into several Universities that she wants to attend, including Columbia University and Rice University. She is planning to triple major in Economics, Marketing, and International Business.
Each year United Way recognizes a youth member who is taking action to make our community a better place to live, and who demonstrates a commitment to United Way’s mission through exceptional volunteer efforts. Hayley Poillucci presented the Youth Volunteer of the Year Award to Bryan Lucas.
Bryan Lucas is a senior at Southeast Whitfield High School. His passion for improving lives has led him to devote most of his time to volunteering. Through United Way, Bryan volunteered to distribute books and lunches to children over the summer. Bryan was able to put almost 4,000 books into the hands of young readers to support healthy summer reading habits for children in this community. Bryan also volunteered at his church’s clean-up day picking up trash around his neighborhood. Bryan is a member of United Way’s Youth United Council. He has volunteered at numerous Youth United volunteer projects. In one project, the Youth United group laid grass seed and straw at a new Habitat for Humanity house. Bryan has also collected donations and supplies for Key Club to support animals in shelters over the winter so they would stay warm. Throughout Christmas, Bryan collected toys for Salvation Army’s Sharing is Caring event for families in need who are unable to afford Christmas gifts for their children. In 2022, he collected over 150 volunteer hours, displaying his dedication to the community. Bryan is continuing his education at Columbus State University, pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Nursing.
The Presidential Volunteer Service Award honors individuals whose service positively impacts communities in every corner of the nation and inspires those around them to take action. This spring, the United Way Volunteer Center Cabinet will present 62 Presidential Volunteer Service Awards to students at their school awards banquets. That equals over 10,620 volunteer hours!! Any individual, family, or group can receive Presidential recognition for volunteer hours earned over a 12-month period or over the course of a lifetime at home or abroad. The minimum hour requirement for a Presidential Volunteer Service Award is Kids (5-10): 26 hours, Teens (11-15): 50 hours, Young Adults (16-25): 100 hours.
If you’re interested in volunteering with United Way of Northwest Georgia, please visit volunteernwga.org or contact Hayley Poillucci at hayley.poillucci@ourunitedway.org.
Visit ourunitedway.org to learn how to Give, Advocate, and Volunteer and to view United Way’s full impact on our local community!
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