2016 INSPIRE BY EXAMPLE TEAM AWARD WINNER

The Gathering’s 25+ Years Saturday Lunch Leadership Team

GATHERING VOLUNTEERS ARE AWARDED  THE 2016 INSPIRE BY EXAMPLE TEAM AWARD
This year’s winner of the Nonprofit Center’s 2016 Inspire by Example Team Award is The Gathering’s 25+ Years Saturday Lunch Leadership Team.  These Gathering volunteers have consistently, for 25 years or more, cooked or coordinated the meal at one of our Saturday Lunch sites on at least a monthly basis.  Leadership volunteers perform jobs that would otherwise be done by paid staff.
The 25+ Saturday Lunch Leadership Team includes:
Four Saturday Cooking Crews:                                                                                                       St. Anne’s                                                                                                                                           King Solomon’s/Progressive Baptist                                                                                                  Bay Leaf Bruisers
 All Saints Cathedral                                                                                                                Between the four of them, these volunteer crews have cooked over 1,000 times – nearly 3 years of Saturdays; an estimated 204,800 meals; 3,200 hours of service.  All Gathering meals are cooked from scratch at each meal site.  The Gathering provides the equipment, supplies, food and menus.  The volunteer cooking crews provide the culinary expertise, creativity, commitment and passion.

Four Saturday Lunch Coordinators:                                                                                               Rick Thickens                                                                                                                                  Mary Thickens                                                                                                                                   Lisa Murray                                                                                                                                      Gregg Weirauch                                                                                                                          These coordinators have guided volunteer groups over 880 times – over 2 ½ years of Saturdays; 4,400 plus hours of service.  They are responsible for the entire meal program from set up to instructing and supervising the volunteer serving group to cleaning up and securing the meal site.  They are also responsible for creating and maintaining the atmosphere of hospitality essential to this work.

Here is the full list of all 2016 Inspire by Example Award winners:
Adult Award:  Jim Stanke; nominated by Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity
Youth Award:  J’Korevia Lawson; nominated by City on a Hill
Business Award:  GE Healthcare
Team Award:   25+ Years Saturday Lunch Leadership Team; nominated by The Gathering
Wile Volunteer Management Award:  Ana Kleppin; nominated by IndependenceFirst
Swigart Board Leadership Award:  Eric Isbister; nominated by Beyond Vision    
Award Winners will be recognized on April 7 at the Nonprofit Center’s 2016 Volunteer Celebration luncheon to be held at the Italian Community Center.  
WAY TO GO TEAM!!!

2015 Volunteer Award Recipients

INDIVIDUAL VOLUNTEER AWARDS

The GEORGE GREENE AWARD for exceptional service by a guest turned volunteer is named after founder and long time Gathering Board President. The 2014 Award was presented to Ray Pryor, a faithful Breakfast Program volunteer. Ray could not be present at the event as he recently became employed as a truck driver.

Breakfast coordinator, Angela, presents Ray with the George Greene Award

The following individual volunteers reached SERVICE MILESTONES in 2014 for number of years of continuous volunteering:

25 years – (Saturday Cooks) Vergie Bond, Toby Carney, Nick Eusch, Joe Graf, John Keene, Lee Klugiewicz, Roger Kocher, Tom Nabke, Maria Phelps, Chuck Thimmesch, Dean Thome, and Judy Young; (Breakfast Volunteer) Mary Rockstad; (Saturday Cooks & Coordinators) Shari Egan, Dorothy Evans; 10 years – (Saturday Coordinators) Harry Ansley, MaryBeth Ansley, Cheryl Ganske, Harvey Ganske, Marie Hoven; (Breakfast Volunteer) Deacon Ned Howe; (Saturday Cook) Tom McGinn; 7 years – (Saturday Coordinator) Roger Carroll; (Saturday Cooks) Michelle DaCosta, Linda Cesario, Roger Dickinson, Karen Meunier, Mark Meunier, Richard Thickens, Jason Thurow; 5 years – (Saturday Coordinators) Joe Kaja, Kris Ochocki; 3 years – (Saturday Cooks) Paul Acker, Sue Acker, Betsy Fryda, Amy Fryman, Nick Hirsch, Nick Hirsch, Lisa Hirsch, Regina Hirsch, Rita Hirsch, Erin Puariea, Coco Rodriguez, Millie Tillman; (Saturday Coordinators) Kelly Boettcher, Kunal Kapoor; (Saturday Cook and Coordinator) Sherry Walker

Volunteers played picnic games like Bags. For some, it was their first time! 

GROUP AWARDS

The following groups reached SERVICE MILESTONES in 2014 for number of times volunteering:

350x – Marquette University High School; 175x – Emmanuel Community United Methodist Church; 150x – Thomas More High School; 125x – Slinger High School; 85x – North Shore Presbyterian Church; 75x – Youthworks; 50x – Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church, St. Stephen the Martyr Lutheran Church; 35x – East Troy HS NHS, Hillside Community Church, Northwestern Mutual, St. Mary’s Episcopal Church; 25x – Mt. Calvary Lutheran School Hope Club, 15x: God’s Work Our Hands, Slinger High School Skills USA; 10x – Associated Bank, Casa Romero Center, Christ UMC, Faith UCC-Slinger, Good Shepherd Catholic Church, Manpower, Salem UCC, St. Alphonsus Catholic Church, St. Monica, Ulster Project.

Matthew, breakfast volunteer, excitedly accepts the Goodwill Volunteers’ Friend of The Gathering Award

FRIENDS OF THE GATHERING AWARDS

Given to agencies, groups or individuals who have demonstrated exceptional compassion and dedication to The Gathering itself or to those we serve:

Jim Ardis and Dennis Stokhaug (Retired Gathering Operations Managers); Goodwill Volunteers (weekly breakfast volunteers); Duane Drzadinski and Compost Express (Fresh Produce Preservation Project collaborator); UW-Milwaukee Center for Community-Based Learning Leadership and Research & Marquette Midnight Run (weekly student volunteers); Wauwatosa Avenue United Methodist Church (monthly muffin donations); St. Paul’s Episcopal Church (ongoing in-kind, monetary and volunteer support); Suzanne Foster and St. James’ Congregation – Mukwonago (thousands of homemade Christmas cookies and treats)

Volunteers enjoyed picnic fare

FRESH PRODUCE PRESERVATION AWARDS

Given to individual volunteers who have reached milestones with the Fresh Produce Preservation Project:
35x – Eileen Duffey; 10x – Jill Kortebein and Lisa Kortebein