Mote Honors Volunteers for Decades of Dedication, Lauds Retiring Volunteer Director
Mote Honors Volunteers for Decades of Dedication, Lauds Retiring Volunteer Director
Mote Marine Laboratory honored its volunteers — including two who have served for 30 years — recognized its entire volunteer corps for donating hundreds of thousands of hours during 2013 and bid a fond farewell to its retiring volunteer director on Thursday, April 10, during the Lab’s annual Volunteer Awards Ceremony.
The Ceremony was held during National Volunteer Week, which was created by Points of Light, the largest volunteer management and civic engagement organization in the nation.
Volunteers are the lifeblood of Mote, supporting everything from cutting-edge marine science and education to administration offices and outreach programs.
In 2013, the Lab had 1,600 volunteers — and their contributions were immense — said Mote President andCEO Dr. Michael P. Crosby, who greeted and thanked the volunteers gathered for the ceremony in Mote’s Immersion Cinema.
Last year, you contributed over 250,000 hours of service,” Crosby said. “People around the world are impressed to hear that we have so many volunteers doing so much.”
During the Ceremony, Crosby and Mote staff presented awards to volunteers who had served for 30 years, 25, 15, 10,five, three and one. Volunteers who had served more than 4,000 hours total during their lifetime also received thenational President’s Volunteer Service Award. “We did a little math to figure out how many total yearsof service we’ve had from the group being honored tonight,” Crosby said. “It adds up to 1,200 cumulative years. That’s impressive.”
During the celebration, Mote volunteers and staff also bid a fond farewell to Lisa Kinsella, who retired Thursday as Mote’s Director of Volunteer and Intern Resources. Kinsella served as a Mote employee for seven years, after volunteering for Mote for four and a half years.
Kinsella told the group: “You’ve deeply touched my heart and changed me in the most positive ways — not only through your kindness to me, but through the professionalism, dedication and caring you’ve shown to Mote.”
During the ceremony, Stolberg completed her term and welcomed incoming Volunteer Board President Bob Cameron. Fellow Volunteer Board officers now include: Angela Bruguglio, Vice President; Anne Walborn, Secretary; Tom Norton, Treasurer.
All Honorees in Mote's 2014 Volunteer Awards Ceremony:
President’s Volunteer Service Award
(National honor for volunteers who have given service of 4,000 hours or more over the course of their lifetime)
Joe Malaney
Ginny Doherty
Gwen Ross
Diane Kestner
Judy Shannon
Norma Pennington
Since 2008, when Mote registered for the National Points of Light Program, the Lab has honored 117 volunteers withthe President's Volunteer Service Award for lifetime service of more than 4,000 hours. According to the President’s Volunteer Service Award web site: the award is issued by Points of Light Institute and the Corporation for National and Community Service on behalf of the President of the United States to recognize the best in American spirit, and to encourage all Americans to improve their communities through volunteer service, and civic participation.
30 Year Award
(Award for volunteers who have served Mote for thirty years with a minimum of 3,000 hours)
Bob Wiegand
Wiegand has served in Mote’s education and outreach efforts since 1983, just three years after the Lab opened is public outreach facility, The Aquarium at Mote. Over the years he has assisted with videoconference programs connecting kids with real marine explorers, guided visitors in The Aquarium at Mote, served in The Aquarium’s Gift Shop and more. He was among the first-ever Day Chairs of Mote’s volunteer corps and today he is an outstanding Aquarium guide and mentor to others.
Pauline Becker
Becker moved with her husband from New Jersey to Florida. In her early years volunteering at Mote, she assisted in the Gift Shop for The Aquarium at Mote and served as Treasurer of Friends of Mote Library, a group of volunteers who raise funds and provide other support for Mote’s Arthur Vining Davis Library. Currently she volunteers in the Library — which has been providing resources, reference and research materials for over 35 years to scientists, students and the public — working as a typist, preparing materials such as book spine labels and donation book plates and by logging, labeling and organizing peer-reviewed journals.
25 Year Award
(Award for volunteers who have served Mote for 25 years with a minimum of 2,500 hours)
Ethel Athanas
Ronnie Enander
Diane Jones
Bert Taylor
20 Year Award
(Award for volunteers who have served Mote for 20 years with a minimum of 2,000 hours)
Mary Anderson
Toni Anthony
Morton Kallman
Norman Lewis
Doris Anne Lucia
Robert Lucia
Nicole Machenheimer
Don Marshall
Bobi Sanderson
Bill Thibodeau
15 Year Award
(Award for volunteers who have served Mote for 15 years with a minimum of 1,500 hours)
Jack Baumring
Betty Brown
Callie Desormier
Robert Duncan
Bill Galvano
Alex Klashnya
Milton Kruk
Stephanie Kruk
Jim Linke
Betty Linke
Stephanie Louis
Nancy Lyon
Norma Jean McKeever
Ken Miller
Ginny O'Doherty
Forrest Paradise
Mary Pexa
Fran Schlusemann
Rose Marie Stieber
Tom Story
Elisabeth Wiener
Cathy Wilson
10 Year Award
(Award for volunteers who have served Mote for 10 years with a minimum of 1,000 hours)
Betty Austin
Bernita Barker
Ann Burnette
Cyndy Colbath
Jean Dawson
Chuck DeMuth
Tamara Eddy
Irving Fink
Tom Fulks
Dianne Hughes
Ursula Jablonski
Clara Jessie
Sandy Kellam
Carol Kinder
Linda Katt
Terry Katt
Peg Magee
Rick Magee
Diane McKissick
Ron Saper
Linda Smalheiser
Ann Tannen
Rosemary Treonis
Pewter Shark Award
(Award for volunteers who served Mote for five years with a minimum of 500 hours)
Christine Allard
Patricia Amsel
Carol Arscott
Kenneth Babineau
Melanie Babineau
Kim Bassett
Sherman Brown
Donna Buckalter
Mark Buckalter
Melanie Buckalter
Jeanne Bunnell
David Carnes
Mindy D'Orazio
Kris Freeman
Barb Fulton
Maggie Gat
Dolores Giles
Stephanie Goar
Phyllis Harris
John Harrison
Jennifer Helseth
Don Hildewig
Leif Jacobsen
Mary Lou Johnson
Jen Kaiser
David Kaufman
Jerry Knab
Astrid Kouw
Jeff Kratz
Laura Lucas
Michael McCarthy
Katherine McHugh
Evelyn Mitchell
Linda Pine
Dave Powell
Linda Powers
Dennis Riley
Lillian Riley
Patricia Saviano
Sheryl Schrepf
Linda Short
Rod Sills
Cindy Solloway
Rita Sommer
John Tendall
Betty Tesoriero
Bruce Wallis
Michael Walsh
Arthur Zipin
Green Shark Award
(Award for volunteers who have served Mote for three years with a minimum of 300 hours)
Cathy Aldrich
Kai Aquino
Rick Arata
Ronnie Arata
Michelle Barbato
Aaron Barleycorn
Monique Benjamin
Jere Berkey
Mike Bommer
Garry Brady
Patti Brady
Neil Brussard
Jason Chin
Cindi Christenson
Peggy Clark
Shelly Clark
Dug Cooley
Raymond Cosby
Donna Cumbee
Danny Danziger
Susan Davis
Carol Demery
Dave Dennehy
Catherine Deveau
Scott Duff
Jo Dzina
Lisa Eck
Loretta Ehlers
Tonya Eubank
Jack Farris
Judith Fesko
Jill Fisher
Susan Gaillard
Norman Gassman
Virginia Gorgue
Tim Graham
Larry Grossman
Lisa Hartmann
Suzanne Head
Melissa Herron
Mike Herron
Terry Hornblow
Leah Jung
Dale Kling
Debbie Klinger
Margot Kolodziej
Thomas Kolodziej
Beth Laubisch
David Laubisch
Karen Lima
Loretta Lovrey
Garrett Magda
Peter Manley
Anna Marie Martin
Jean Martin
Gardner Mason
Caryl Mason
Daniel Mattingly
Allison Meuser
Diana Mitchell
Kent Mitchell
Lynda Morris
Pauline Moss
Dennis Moss
Sara Myers
Tom Norton
Dan O'Neil
Jan O'Neil
Carol Pettit
Bill Porter
Jon Prettyman
Eileen Raffaelli
Bert Rappole
Melanie Reda
Karen Rivot
Jude Rosenberg
Ken Schneier
Joy Schroder
Paul Shields
Andrea Shlasko
Mike Shlasko
Maureen Shuman
Steve Stockdale
Heather Stribrny
Rachel Sullivan
Linda Tanielian
Betty Tesoriero
Betty Tousignant
Andy Valenti
Megan Vaupel
Chadwick Vollmer
Megan Walder
Gil Weiner
Susan Weisse
Patrick Williams
Suellen Williams
Shanon Winchester
Blue Shark Award
(Award for volunteers who have served Mote for one year with a minimum of 100 hours)
Bob Axsiom
Geoff Barr
Paul Barricklow
Jeanne Bennett
Elsie Bracken
Dennis Buemi
Peggy Butkier
Martha Caesar
Regina Calucci
Stephanie Cardenas
Paul Carreiro
Anthony Chacour
Jerry Chrysler
Carolyn Colin
Andre Cote
Marie Couturier-Cote
MJ Cox
Tony Crincoli
Wayne Curtis
Joan Curto
Joe Davis
Todd Dennison
David Ecoff
Arden Esslinger
William Eubank
Sandy Everly
Florita Field
Julie Fleetwood
Lucille Fontaine
Harvey Greller
Jean Greller
Gail Hall
Deloris Hammock
Sam Harris
John Henningson
Gail Hochanadel
Ted Hoopes
Matthew Israel
Mark Jackson
Jennifer Jones
Richard King
Cathy Klettke
Donna Krusenoski
Linda Ladd
Nancy Lingeman
Lizabeth Longstreet
Iris Lopez
Jennifer Lottmann
Lauren Marmaro
Kyle McGovern
Adilyne McKinlay
Charlie Mericle
Diana Miracle
Kathleen Monahan
Paula Norwood
Mary O'Bannon
Lenny Osterman
Ginny Overdorf
Tom Paczkowski
Cindy Phillips
David Putnam
Dorthea Quinn
Dennis Quinn
Anne Ramsey
Ernie Robinson
Adam Routh
Iris Sheperd
Samantha Spurgeon
Jeanie Stevenson
Ryan Symens
Mike Tanski
Bill Tiffan
Joan Tozzo
Thomas Troxler
Gail Vitale
Cathy Walsh
Carol Weisberg
Wallis Wernicoff
Alan Wertheimer
Susan Wilson