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Volunteers from the New River Valley were recognized and received awards at the Blacksburg Community Center, Saturday, April 5th. Over 100 attendees enjoyed a social before the morning ceremony.
Master of Ceremonies, Gail Billingsley, greeted the crowd and expressed her appreciation for the pro-active efforts of volunteers that served a vast array of needs for many.
Billingsley introduced guest-speaker Dr. James Dubinskey, Associate Professor of English, VT&SIU; Vice-Chair of the YMCA Board of Directors.
Dr. Dubinskey told of his diverse background, which included long-term USA military service. He spoke of critical moments regarding personnel issues in the military, and how he had to learn to help people learn to work as teams and mutually appreciate one another. He related fond memories of his father, and how he gained more appreciation for his father's kind deeds, as the years past. Kindness from his family, he said, inspired him to want to be more kind to others. Experiences with his VT students also bolstered his appreciation for overcoming problems through teamwork.
From a poem he had written, he read that "you must build yourself; together, we can build our efforts for the good of mankind."
The "Sweet Adelines" resonated the room with "barbershop" and other styles of music; their animated production was given an appreciative ovation.
Bill and Nancy Hudson, introduced by their daughter, Melanie Moore, were the Jim and Lenna Moore Community Service and Citizenship Award recipients. Their volunteerism included a myriad of accomplishments, including giving over 5,000 hours of service in just over 2 years for Montgomery Co. and Radford RSVP.
The happy event will surely inspire folks to share with others through selfless acts of kindness.
Click here to see additional photos from this event in our photo gallery. Photos by Larry Middleton.
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