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IRVING S. GILMORE LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD The soft voice, kind eyes and infectious smile of 60-year-old Stacy Skartsiaris do not reveal the challenges she has had to overcome. But they do give a glimpse at the heart of this year's winner of the Irving S. Gilmore Lifetime Achievement STAR Award. Skartsiaris, along with her late husband, started an annual tradition for which the award is honoring her: serving free Thanksgiving meals to those in need. Earlier in her life, Skartsiaris arrived in New York from Greece as a young, single woman who did not speak English. It was the 1960s, and as she learned a new language, she worked for a cousin who owned a local restaurant. “When you come to America and you don't speak English, you go to wherever your relatives have a business and they hire you,” she said. Read more |
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COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP |
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CAREER VOLUNTEER
Art Nichols started volunteering in the 1950s when he was in college in Massachusetts, working with displaced children after a tornado ripped through the town. After that, he volunteered in various capacities throughout his career as a mechanical engineer, including as a mentor for young men. Upon retiring in 1987, he spent six years volunteering for Kalamazoo Public Schools' SPACES program, a chance for students to explore science, technology and literacy, before switching gears from helping youths to helping the elderly. Read more |
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VOLUNTEER FAMILY Hundreds of U.S. military troops in Iraq slept warmly this winter thanks to an effort spearheaded by two women who live in Richland. The mother-daughter team of Candy Collins, 49, and Sarah Ashbrook, 28, formed Operation: Sleepwell, a goodwill effort that gave 300 members of the military blankets, sheets and pillowcases to help them have a comfortable night's sleep. The two women also baked 60 pounds of holiday cookies and sent them to a military camp in Fallujah. Read more |
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SENIOR VOLUNTEER In the Sunshine Room of the Borgess Child Development Center, 67-year-old Earl Hendrix sits in a dark room, keeping a watchful eye over several sleeping 2-year-olds. It is one of the few moments when the children are quiet around him at the center. One of six foster grandparents at the center, Hendrix is affectionately nicknamed Papa Earl by the children. He is a favorite at the center, where he has volunteered for three years. Hendrix started volunteering through Senior Services'Foster Grandparent Program at Lakewood Elementary School in Kalamazoo during the school year. He volunteered at the Borgess Child Development Center when school was out for the summer. Soon the center's workers were calling him, asking to have Papa Earl back. Read more |
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ADULT VOLUNTEER Contrary to what his neighbors might think, Ken Horton actually does sleep. As president of Milwood Neighborhood Watch, Horton spends many late-night and early-morning hours driving and walking through the Kalamazoo neighborhood, on guard for suspicious activity. There are hard-working people here and many residents raising families here in Milwood,” he said. “They want this to be a safe area as much as I do.” Horton and his wife have lived for 20 years in the Milwood neighborhood, roughly bounded by Miller Road to the north, Portage Road to the west, Kilgore Road to the south and Sprinkle Road to the east. He estimated that he devoted more than 700 hours of his time in 2006 toward the betterment of the Milwood neighborhood. His vigilance is paying off. Read more |
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ADULT VOLUNTEER GROUP Girl's On The Run coaches need the energy of a teenager and the enthusiasm to match. Girls on the Run coaches volunteer at school districts throughout the greater Kalamazoo area to oversee a team of third- through fifth-grade girls. The organization helps pre-teen girls to develop self-respect and healthy lifestyles through running. The culmination of the 10-week program is a 5k run featuring Girls on the Run members from all participating Kalamazoo-area school districts. Susan Pell, a tenacious runner who averages five marathons annually, said a friend suggested three years ago she coach the Starr Elementary team. Read more |
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COLLEGE VOLUNTEER After her aunt and two cousins were hit and killed by a drunken driver in May 2005, Western Michigan University student Rani Stutz felt she had to do something to prevent the same crime from happening again. “I was just really angry about everything that happened, and I called to find out if I could help or if there were any MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) chapters on campus,” she said. When she found out that WMU did not have a MADD chapter, she founded a University Mothers Against Drunk Driving chapter there. To get the organization started, she had to go to training at the MADD headquarters in Dallas, recruit other students, and develop connections to community leaders. Read more |
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COLLEGE VOLUNTEER GROUP It is a program that started small but has always had big ambitions. Two years after its inception, Kalamazoo College's Mentoring and Motivation Among Peers team has won a STAR Award in the College Volunteer Group category. The accolade verifies that the 13-member group is starting to meet its optimistic ambition -- to improve the way young people deal with disputes, giving them alternatives to violence and insults. A substantial portion of the group's effort involves spending Saturday afternoons at the Kalamazoo County Juvenile Home, where volunteers... Read more |
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YOUNG ADULT VOLUNTEER Ebony White grew up watching her mother volunteering in the Kalamazoo community. To her, it only seemed natural that she, too, would get involved. She started volunteering as a junior member of the Kalamazoo Junior Girls Organization when she was 8 years old, not old enough to be an official member. She stayed involved with the organization through her high school years at Kalamazoo Central. Then, after living in Chicago for five years, she came back to Kalamazoo and took a part-time administrative position with the organization. “It was easy for me to work here because I've been around here all my life,” she said. When she took the administrative post, she held down two other jobs, working part-time at Kalamazoo's East Side Youth Center and Catholic Family Services in Kalamazoo... Read more |
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YOUTH VOLUNTEER At 13 years old, Taylor Batten has dedicated her time to showing U.S. military personnel that she supports them. The Three Rivers teen, winner of this year's Youth Volunteer STAR Award, sends cards, letters, e-mail messages and care packages to soldiers who are stationed overseas. She attends the funerals of fallen soldiers as a member of the Patriot Guard Riders. She has visited wounded Marines at the national Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md. Recently, Taylor held a blanket drive for the troops in Iraq and collected nearly 150 blankets to ship out. “It just popped into my mind that really anything that the troops get from home helps out a lot with their psychological well-being, and, believe it or not, it gets really cold out there,” said the Mendon Junior High School student. Read more |
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YOUTH VOLUNTEER GROUP Many young people have been written off by society as destined never to amount to anything, but Frank Saracina refuses to label the teenage students at Cheever Treatment Center that way. The Allegan County-operated center, in Allegan, is a daytime detention facility for juveniles where young people spend most of the day doing academic work assigned by the Cheever staff. The teens also have been ordered by the court to spend six hours each week in community service. Beyond that, the treatment center is a place where the teens have a chance to redeem themselves after making poor choices. Read more |
2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998 1997 1996 1995 1994
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| Winner | Category | |
| 2007 | ||
| Taylor Batten | Youth Volunteer | |
| Cheever Treatment Center | Youth Group | |
| Rani Stutz | College Volunteer | |
| Kalamazoo College Mentoring & Motivation Among Peers Team | College Group | |
| Ebony White | Young Adult | |
| Ken Horton | Adult Volunteer | |
| Earl Hendrix | Senior Volunteer | |
| Greater Kalamazoo Girls on the Run | Adult Group | |
| Candy Collins & Sarah Ashbrook | Volunteer Family | |
| Art Nichols | Career Volunteer | |
| Bette Hawkins | Community Leadership | |
| Stacy T. Skartsiaris | Irving S. Gilmore Lifetime Achievement | |
| Back to top of page Back to list of winners | ||
| 2006 | ||
| William McQuitty | Youth Volunteer | |
| Adena Leibbrand & Tess Duncan | Youth Group | |
| Breigh Montgomery | College Volunteer | |
| Alpha Lambda Delta | College Group | |
| Jamie Turner | Young Adult (New Category in 2006) | |
| Russell Matlock | Adult Volunteer | |
| John Miller | Senior Volunteer | |
| Generous Hands, Inc | Adult Group | |
| American Red Cross Disaster Volunteers | Adult Group | |
| Frank & Lolamay Martin | Volunteer Family | |
| James Knox | Career Family | |
| Amy Remmert | Community Leadership | |
| Marie L. Stevens | Irving S. Gilmore Lifetime Achievement | |
| Back to top of page Back to list of winners | ||
| 2005 | ||
| Addison Carpenter | Youth Volunteer | |
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Parchment HS Student Council |
Youth Group | |
| Tara Bennett | College Volunteer | |
| Dr. Davis & WMU's Ed 350 Classes | College Group | |
| Fern Conklin | Adult Volunteer | |
| Margaret Mary Mosher | Senior Volunteer | |
| The Men of New Beginnings | Adult Group | |
| West MI Cancer Center Volunteers | Adult Group | |
| The Burkhead Family | Volunteer Family | |
| Harold Garnaat | Career Volunteer | |
| Norm Braksick | Community Leadership | |
| Anna Whitten | Irving S. Gilmore Lifetime Achievement | |
| Mark Hunter | Employed Volunteer (Ended in '06) | |
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| 2004 | ||
| Lawrence Mathews | Youth Volunteer | |
| Covert Elementary 3rd Graders | Youth Group | |
| Sarah Husain | College Volunteer | |
| K College/ KPS Partnership | College Group | |
| Scott A. Keeler | Adult Volunteer | |
| Jamal Siddiq | Senior Volunteer | |
| CARES Buddy Program | Adult Group | |
|
Louie & Iris Tortorelli |
Volunteer Family | |
| Phyllis Smith | Career Volunteer | |
| Aaron Cantrell | Community Leadership | |
| Fran Mason | Irving S. Gilmore Lifetime Achievement | |
| Patrick Stamm | Employed Volunteer | |
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| 2003 | ||
| Brittany Sheets | Youth Volunteer | |
| Gull Lake HS Volunteers | Youth Group | |
| Nina Mayra | College Voluneer | |
| WMU Football Team | College Group | |
| Julius Robinson | Adult Volunteer | |
| Betty Wolbers | Senior Volunteer | |
| Meals on Wheels | Adult Group | |
| Claudine & Walter Liesinger | Volunteer Family | |
| Mike Artis | Career Volunteer | |
| Louise Vanderberg-Smiht | Community Leadership | |
| John Lawrence | Irving S. Gilmore Lifetime Achievement | |
| Dee Mareless | Employed Volunteer | |
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| 2002 | ||
| Ashleigh Tillman | Youth Volunteer | |
| Mattawan HS Class of 2002 | Youth Group | |
| Jennifer Sale | College Volunteer | |
| WMU Chapter Habitat for Humanity | College Group | |
| Jerry Campbell | Adult Volunteer | |
| Janet Fletcher | Senior Volunteer | |
| Big Brothers/Big Sisters Bridge Activities | Adult Group | |
| Volunteer Kids Hop USA of Lakeland Reformed Church | Adult Group | |
| The McCarthy Family | Volunteer Family | |
| Ruth Ann Stoddard | Career Volunteer | |
| Charles Shane | Community Leadership | |
| Elizabeth Lennon | Irving S. Gilmore Lifetime Achievement | |
| Richard Phillips | Employed Volunteer | |
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| 2001 | ||
| Abigail Arwady | Youth Volunteer | |
| Children of Lakeside Treatment & Learning Center | Youth Group | |
| Subblakshmi Shankar | College Volunteer | |
| Alpha Gamma Gamma Theta Upsilon Intntnl Geographic Honor Soc. | College Group | |
| Wilma Kahn & Justin Purdiman | Adult Volunteer | |
| Reverent Bob Davis | Senior Volunteer | |
| 1st Presbyterian Church Health Clinic Volunteers | Adult Group | |
| Vernon & Pauline Terrell | Volunteer Family | |
| Bill Short | Career Volunteer | |
| Ree Millard | Community Leadership | |
| N. Lorraine Beebe | Irving S. Gilmore Lifetime Achievement | |
| Patricia Carlin | Employed Volunteer | |
| Back to top of page Back to list of winners | ||
| 2000 | ||
|
Jennifer Mayberry |
Youth Volunteer | |
| American Red Cross Elementary Leadership Council | Youth Group | |
| Katie Eaton | College Volunteer | |
| Honors Student Association Lee Honors College - WMU | College Group | |
| Sandra Johnson | Adult Volunteer | |
| Paul Kleis & George Mackenzie | Senior Volunteer | |
| Employees of Flowserve FSD Corporation | Adult Group | |
| Douglass, Penny, Melissa & Chris Thompson | Volunteer Family | |
| Ruth Diephuis | Career Volunteer | |
| Amy Wolff | Community Leadership | |
| Roberta S. Cheney | Irving S. Gilmore Lifetime Achievement | |
| Robert L. Johnson | Employed Volunteer | |
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| 1999 | ||
| Jenna Harville | Youth Volunteer | |
| Teen Heart Student Leaders | Youth Group | |
| Sunset Lake Elementary Student Body | Youth Group | |
| RaShelle Peck | College Volunteer | |
| K College Students at the Woodward School | College Group | |
| Carol Yager | Adult Volunteer | |
| Richard VanderMolen | Senior Volunteer | |
| Helping Hands, Happy People | Adult Group | |
| Russ Schipper & Ilse Gebhard | Volunteer Family | |
| Kenneth Rathert | Career Volunteer | |
| Pastor J. Louis Felton | Community Leadership | |
| James S. Gilmore, Jr. | Irving S. Gilmore Lifetime Achievement | |
| Joyce Pines | Employed Volunteer | |
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| 1998 | ||
| Parchment Central Elementary | Youth Group | |
| Jamila Aquila Amira Bell | College Volunteer | |
| W. Douglas Tutors | College Group | |
| WMU/CMU Blood Drive Challenge | College Group | |
| Mona Khaled | Adult Volunteer | |
| Patricia Burke | Senior Volunteer | |
| Women's Education Coalition | Adult Group | |
| Barbara Simes Tucker & John Tucker | Volunteer Family | |
| Nancy Zalaoras | Career Volunteer | |
| Charita P. Coleman-Gladdis | Community Leadership | |
| Deloris R. Jordan Phillips | Irving S. Gilmore Lifetime Achievement | |
| Raina Willoughby | Employed Volunteer | |
| Back to top of page Back to list of winners | ||
| 1997 | ||
| Amelia Wolf | Youth Volunteer | |
| Hackett Catholic Central HS | Youth Group | |
| Sara L. Bartosiewicz | College Volunteer | |
| KVCC Honors Program | College Group | |
| Francis J. Blaise | Adult Volunteer | |
| William E. Diamond | Senior Volunteer | |
| Retired & Senior Volunteer Program | Adult Group | |
| Betty & Ernie Mullinax | Volunteer Family | |
| Howard M. Cain | Career Volunteer | |
| Viola Gaines-McMillion | Community Leadership | |
| Sally Appleyard | Irving S. Gilmore Lifetime Achievement | |
| Stephanie J. Mills | Employed Volunteer | |
| Back to top of page Back to list of winners | ||
| 1996 | ||
| Sariah Robinson | Youth Volunteer | |
| Project Mentor Connections | Youth Group | |
| Kathryn M. Jones | College Volunteer | |
| Willie Webster | Adult Volunteer | |
| Dolores I. Leach | Senior Volunteer | |
| Shepherd's Center Escort Transportation Service | Adult Group | |
| Gregory, Becky, Mason & Hannah Lilly | Volunteer Family | |
| Fran Mason | Career Volunteer | |
| Anna Reddy | Community Leadership | |
| Vivian P. King & Sister Mary Bader, SSJ | Irving S. Gilmore Lifetime Achievement | |
| Roger Paul Poe | Employed Volunteer | |
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| 1995 | ||
| Angela Blake | Youth Volunteer | |
| St. A's Helping Hands Class of 1997 | Youth Group | |
| Ronda McAlpine | College Volunteer | |
| Project Brave | College Group | |
| Bill Phillips | Adult Volunteer | |
| James E. Amos, Sr. | Senior Volunteer | |
| The Volunteers of Planned Parenthood | Adult Group | |
| The Perry Family | Volunteer Family | |
| Jan Getz | Career Volunteer | |
| Robert W. VanDis | Community Leadership | |
| Betty Lee Ongley | Irving S. Gilmore Lifetime Achievement | |
| James E. Green, Jr. | Employed Volunteer | |
| Back to top of page Back to list of winners | ||
| 1994 | ||
| Cheryl Rikkers | Youth Volunteer | |
| Gull Lake HS Volunteers | Youth Group | |
| Dawit Dejene | Gollege Volunteer | |
| Peer Educators of Sexual Assult Ed. WMU | College Group | |
| Eleanor Miller | Senior Volunteer | |
| Senior Companion Volunteer Program | Adult Group | |
| Herb & Neva Nehring | Volunteer Family | |
| Sally Gottlieb | Career Volunteer | |
| Cathryn Sirk | Community Leadership | |
| William J. Lawrence, Jr. | Irving S. Gilmore Lifetime Achievement | |
| Dan Carroll | Employed Volunteer | |
| Back to top of page Back to list of winners | ||
| 1993 | ||
| Deidre Batizy | Youth Volunteer | |
| River Side Junior Grange #324 | Youth Group | |
| Steven Mullins | College Volunteer | |
| Student Volunteer Services Board - WMU | College Group | |
| Doris Dinda | Senior Volunteer | |
| Volunteers of Big Brothers/Big Sisters | Adult Goup | |
| Employee Volunteers of KALSEC, Inc | Adult Group | |
| Wayne Howard & Cindy J. Howard | Volunteer Family | |
| Betty Goldsmith | Career Volunteer | |
| Anna Whitten | Community Leadership | |
| Dominic Leonardelli & Elizabeth Upjohn | Irving S. Gilmore Lifetime Achievement | |
| H. Charles Kiplinger | Employed Volunteer | |
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| 1992 | ||
| Jason Dooley | Youth Volunteer | |
| Portage Central HS Employability & KVISD Young Adult Program | Youth Group | |
| Sherri Lynn Beebe | Colege Volunteer | |
| Edward Van-Haften | Senior Volunteer | |
| Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) | Adult Group | |
| Jim, Sheri, Lindsay & Andrew Ferrari | Volunteer Family | |
| Bud Vanderberg | Career Volunteer | |
| Bruce Kocher | Community Leadership | |
| Judson Knapper | Irving S. Gilmore Lifetime Achievement | |
| Peggy Cancro & Lynda McKinnon | Employed Volunteer | |
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| 1991 | ||
| Patty Stoddard | Youth Volunteer | |
| Kalamazoo Junior Girls | Youth Group | |
| Susan Lawson | College Volunteer | |
| Alpha Kappa Psi Gamma Tau Chapter WMU | College Group | |
| Frank Baker | Senior Volunteer | |
| Loaves & Fishes Volunteers | Adult Group | |
| Gordon & Louise Bogema | Volunteer Family | |
| Richard Brayton | Career Volunteer | |
| Jan Dancer | Community Leadership | |
| Dr. Fredrick Margolis (posthumously) | Irving S. Gilmore Lifetime Achievement | |
| Dino Richards | Employed Volunteer | |
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| 1990 | ||
| Brian Jewett | Youth Volunteer | |
| Milwood Middle School VolunTEENS | Youth Group | |
| Laura Smith | College Volunteer | |
| John Brewer | Senior Volunteer | |
| Volunteers of Hospice of Greater Kalamazoo | Adult Group | |
| Dennis & Eudora Williams | Volunteer Family | |
| David Kurtz | Career Volunteer | |
| Linda Brown | Community Leadership | |
| Duane Roberts (posthumously) | Irving S. Gilmore Lifetime Achievement | |
| Robert Dudley | Employed Volunteer | |
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| 1989 | ||
| Michael C. Evans | Youth Volunteer | |
| WMU Hockey Team | Youth Group | |
| Kristine Crum | College Volunteer | |
| Helen Rench | Senior Volunteer | |
| Vine Neighborhood Assn & Neighborhood Watch Committee | Adult Group | |
| The Jon Wood Famliy | Volunteer Family | |
| Gail Camp | Career Volunteer | |
| Blaine Lam | Community Leadership | |
| Arthur Washington, Jr. | Irving S. Gilmore Lifetime Achievement | |
| Robert N. McEwan | Employed Volunteer | |
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| 1988 | ||
| Emily Jill Blanchard | Youth Volunteer | |
| Project LEAD Residence Hall Life Community Awareness | Youth Group | |
| Kay Hartman | College Volunteer | |
| Kate Bennett & John Ceru | Senior Volunteer | |
| Community Based Ed Program for Minority Student Achiviement | Adult Group | |
| Andrew & Clarence Poel | Volunteer Family | |
| Kathy Guthrie | Career Volunteer | |
| Sally Appleyard | Community Leadership | |
| Wen Chao Chen | Irving S. Gilmore Lifetime Achievement | |
| Dr. Sid Dykstra | Employed Volunteer | |
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| 1987 | ||
| Michele Salters | Youth Volunteer | |
| Tamara Broekema | College Volunteer | |
| Olga Pahl | Senior Volunteer | |
| Sexuql Assault Program Volunteers | Adult Group | |
| Susan & Khris Twigg | Volunteer Family | |
| Jerry Craft | Career Volunteer | |
| Jean Huston & Maxine Becker | Community Leadership | |
| Joseph J. Dunnigan | Irving S. Gilmore Lifetime Achievement | |
| Larry Cook | Employed Volunteer | |
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| 1986 | ||
| Nichole Hodgman | Youth Volunteer | |
| Amy Mesara | College Volunteer | |
| Harriet Schultz & Harold Austin | Senior Volunteer | |
| Gryphon Place 24-hr Help Line Volunteers | Adult Group | |
| Donald & Ann Elzinga | Volunteer Family | |
| Mary McLean & Susan Reimer | Career Volunteer | |
| Jerry DeRyke | Community Leadership | |
| Jean DeVries | Employed Volunteer | |
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