The United Way of Southern Chautauqua County honored 17 volunteers at its 2022 Volunteer of the Year event this week at the Winifred Crawford Dibert Boys and Girls Club of Jamestown. The volunteers, all nominated by agencies funded by the United Way, attended the event and were honored with a special certificate, signed by Executive Director Amy Rohler and a representative from the nominating agency. Director of Community Impact Lindsey Goold presented the awards to each nominee, and Chautauqua County I.D.E.A. Coalition Leecroft Clarke was the keynote speaker. The theme of the event was "Community volunteers are the key to our community success."
Goold says, "We couldn’t do what we do without volunteers, and the volunteers that serve our partner agencies make a big difference in the lives of the people they serve. Our community is better because of them. Volunteering not only benefits nonprofits but it fosters a stronger sense of unity, involving marginalized people in community projects, and improving overall physical and mental health. With volunteer time valued at $28.54 per hour, most nonprofits would not be successful in pursuing their mission without the support of volunteers."
Honorees for the event included the following:
American Red Cross -- Wendy Brickman
Chautauqua Adult Day Care Services -- Pedro Fajaro
Chautauqua County RSVP Community Volunteers -- Carol Parnell
Chautauqua Striders Mentoring -- Len Barry
Chautauqua Striders Tutoring -- Wayne Berg
Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) -- Kristin and Shawn Fileger
Jamestown Community Learning Council (JCLC) -- Tina Sandstrom
Jamestown YMCA -- Scott Johnson
Junior Achievement of WNY -- Amanda Braley
Meals on Wheels -- Charlie Hodges
Prevention Works -- Lois Lindell
The Relief Zone -- Tim Lyon
The Resource Center -- Doug Anderson
United Way of Southern Chautauqua County -- Marion Beckerink
WCD Boys & Girls Club -- Conner Zawisa
YWCA Jamestown -- Kristin Lee Yaw
Individuals or organizations interested in learning more about volunteer opportunities with United Way or our partner agencies can e-mail Director of Community Impact Lindsey Goold or call the United Way of Southern Chautauqua County at (716) 483-1561.
Pictured, from left to right: first row - UWAY SCC Community Impact Director Lindsey Goold, Len Barry, Marion Beckerink, Carol Parnell, UWAY SCC Executive Director Amy Rohler; second row - Lois Lindell, Tina Sandstrom; third row - Jim Alexander (on behalf of Doug Anderson), Tim Lyon, Amanda Braley, Pedro Fajaro, Scott Johnson, Conner Zawisa, Wayne Berg. Photo by the United Way of Southern Chautauqua County
