We recently held our Annual Meeting where we award the MCCF Volunteer of the Year, along with the Peggy Herzog Youth Volunteer of the Year. Prior to the Volunteer of the Year award, MCCF Board President Jessica Bokhart recognized the three nominees. They were: Amanda Browning for Recovery Coalition, Myra Dunn Abbott for the League of Women Voters of Montgomery County, and Joyce Kelley for the Women’s Resource Center. All nominees were commended for their hard work and dedication and each received a small gift and certificate of appreciation for their volunteer efforts.
While it is no small task to choose just one volunteer because all are deserving, this year’s VOY award went to Amanda Browning for her work at the Recovery Coalition. Amanda was a founding member of the Drug Court Outreach that became the Recovery Coalition in 2017. She had no prior experience in leading or developing a nonprofit organization, and yet stepped out of her comfort zone to make it happen. She is described as “tenacious and tireless” and is passionate about her own recovery, as well as helping others with their recovery. Amanda received a plaque and $1,000 was awarded to the Recovery Coalition in her honor.
President Bokhart also presented the 2019 Peggy Herzog Youth Volunteer of the Year award. This year’s recipient was Hannah Smaltz, recognized for her work with Pam’s Transitional Housing. Hannah began volunteering at Pam’s Promise last fall, and her primary task was to organize the clothing donations. On her own initiative, she is currently organizing a group of her home school peers to offer a day of service where volunteers can clean up the yard and other spring-cleaning tasks. Hannah received a plaque and $1,000 was awarded to Pam’s Promise in her honor.
Three new Board members were voted in during our annual meeting and they are: David Maharry, Sheila McCormick and Debbie Schavietello. We welcomed them to the MCCF Board of Directors while saying goodbye to Sheridan Hadley and Tom Utley. President Bokhart thanked Sheridan and Tom for their service to the Board, and to the community. President Bokhart wrapped up the meeting with some reflections on the activities and accomplishments in the past year. One of the major accomplishments was the Lilly GIFT VII initiative, which we fulfilled only a few days after the kick-off. As President Bokhart noted, this was due to the overwhelming response and generosity of our donors, and will result in exciting opportunities for our community.