We also invite you to read about the outstanding volunteer efforts of this year's National Volunteer Excellence Award Winners from all over the United States, as well as the difference they make to their chapters, congregations and communities.

The family has been involved in numerous congregational and community service team activities and has played a key role in encouraging others to participate. In addition to Abby’s duties on the chapter board, she and Tom have participated in service team activities that have benefited the annual church smorgasbord dinner (a major fund-raising event), Trinity Lutheran High School, Orphan Grain Train, Pregnancy Care Center and Camp Lakeview.

To publicize the fund-raiser, Kevin formed a community service team and took the lead role. He placed event posters throughout the community and submitted a public-service announcement that aired on local radio. He also recruited additional volunteers, including a Lutheran family that became Thrivent Financial members as a result of their involvement in this activity. The pizza dinners were a huge success and surpassed one of the restaurant’s previous records for a charitable fund-raiser.

In an effort to raise additional funds for his friend’s mounting medical bills, Kevin helped organize a special promotion during halftime at a high school basketball game. Each participant obtained sponsors and accepted pledges based on the promise that if they met their goal, they would shave their heads in support of their friend, Katie. Hundreds of personal letters were mailed and each mailer included information on Katie’s diagnosis and personal needs. The event was also publicized in a feature story in the local newspaper, and the promotion raised awareness in the community about this disease as well as raising funds. These efforts involved students, parents, medical professionals and participants of all ages in an effort to help Katie.

One of the most significant—both for the chapter and her community—was filling a key role in the local Relay for Life event, which benefited the American Cancer Society. Pam was instrumental in organizing service teams from all six Adams County congregations. These teams prepared and served food for more than 700 Relay for Life participants. In addition, Pam hosted a 40th birthday party and, in lieu of gifts, collected pledges totaling $800 for the activity. She also collected money for her congregation’s commemorative luminaries and, in total, the chapter’s Relay for Life team raised more than $11,000.

Pam is very active in her congregation where she organized a series of Lenten Dinner and Easter Breakfast fund-raisers and chaired the service team that organized a special Confirmation reunion and recognition dinner honoring confirmands from as long as 60 years ago. She is also a member of the church handbell choir and ladies’ guild. Active in her community as well, Pam is particularly involved with the Hoagland Area Advancement Association. For the group’s Octoberfest event, she volunteered for set-up, kitchen detail and clean-up, and served on the clean-up committee for Hoagland Days, which included a breakfast sponsored by her chapter.

Her volunteer activities give Pam many opportunities to work with both youth and adults. She helped recruit volunteers of all ages to support the Hoagland Youth League opening-day chicken BBQ, games and concessions, and brought several youth to a Relay for Life car wash for Join Hands Day. As a member of the Fort Wayne Area Home Schoolers, Pam has organized several youth skating parties, and each week takes youth volunteers to the home of a single mother of triplets to help with chores. Pam also helped organize a team of youth volunteers that visited the Fort Wayne Lutheran Nursing Home and assisted in packing Christmas care packages.

Dick volunteers for many other projects in his community, including the Indianapolis Air Show and Thrivent Financial’s Indiana Region’s Volunteer Event, which resulted in a $350,000 donation to Riley Hospital for Children. He also was involved in service teams that supported The Sharing Place, Prevail, Chaucie’s Place, and Open Door projects, all of which received chapter funding and support.