Community Impact Awards

 
What is the Community Impact Award? 
The nominees for the United Way of the Midlands Community Impact Awards are a person or group of people that have demonstrated a commitment to volunteerism and made an impact to causes, programs or projects that support human service needs in the midlands. Nominations were submitted for volunteers who participated in service projects for Untied Way of the Midlands or a certified partner agency in the counties of Calhoun, Fairfield, Lexington, Newberry, Richland or Orangeburg in 2009. Each winner did so in a slightly different way, but all of them had a tremendous impact on the lives they touched. 

2009 Community Impact Award Winners: 
  1. Colonial Life Volunteers, nominated by Boys and Girls Clubs of the Midlands – As volunteers, this group performs a variety of tasks. Each month, one member of their core team hosts a Fun Friday Event. They take the responsibility of finding the venue, purchasing necessary supplies, creating flyers and collectively coming up with the dates for each month. There are 11 volunteers that come one Friday out of the month for two hours and this has been consistently occurring for over a year.
    Vanessa O. Hall of Boys & Girls Clubs of the Midlands says: “They are always prepared, ready to work and display professionalism and positive attitudes. They create a sense of belonging with each member by allowing them to be involved in all activities. By encouraging all members to work together as a team and being true examples of what dynamic teamwork can be, they have really made a difference in the lives of the youth we serve.”
  2. Defender Services, nominated by Sistercare, Inc.–   Since November 2008, this group of seven women has contributed over 1,000 hours of service to Sistercare.. They have assisted with the organizations’ Holiday Adopt-A-Family program, provided birthday parties for residents at the shelters and donated gift baskets and other items for Mother’s Day gifts. They have also been busy landscaping the property and maintaining the lawn at the administrative and counseling office.
    Tamika Sims of Sistercare says: “It is because of this volunteer business group, which holds charitable giving as a priority, that battered women know and feel care from the local community. We are grateful to count this volunteer group as a special friend.”
  3. Dr. Ruth Sanders, nominated by MIRCI – Dr. Sanders, professor of public health, has been an asset to the Mental Illness Recovery Center (MIRCI). She leads at least two group sessions each month in addition to conducting special projects like the holiday village for over 20 years. Her love, dedication and service to the members is evidenced by well over 1,000 hours of time dedicated to sharing her talents and research through various activities.  
    Natasha Moti of MIRCI says: “She has demonstrated repeatedly that she is an exceptional communicator who is selfless and dedicated. She knows how to motivate people to strive to be their very best and loves to share her extensive knowledge. She encourages and challenges our members to overcome obstacles in their lives and continues to be a positive influence on them as well as to our staff.”
  4. Ms. Holly Scott, nominated by Free Medical Clinic – As a registered nurse, Ms Scott has been volunteering to help with the clinical operations at The Free Medical Clinic for the past 26 years. A regular volunteer every Monday morning, her duties include taking the patients’ vital signs and preparing them to be treated by our providers. She then assists the provider, as needed, and performs the coordination to obtain testing with local hospitals. She counsels patients on their health issues and answers any questions they have. In 2009, she provided over 121 hours on 38 separate dates to help meet the need of low-income, uninsured individuals who desperately need healthcare services. Dennis Coker of Free Medical Clinic says: “Her attitude has been simply stated, ‘When you help others, you inspire other to do the same. I often encourage my friends and family to volunteer because the best gift given is yourself.’ As a result of her personal involvement and compassionate example, she has enabled the clinic to substantially increase its efforts. Her incredible investment of time and energy, commitment and dedication on a recurring basis for 26 years demonstrate her resolve to make the Midlands a better place.”
    5. Congratulations to all of the 2009 Community Impact Award Recipients! 
The criteria for the United Way of the Midlands Community Impact Award are as follows:
The nominee must have volunteered for United Way of the Midlands or a Certified Partner Agency, may not be a winner in any other category, and the nominee's volunteer hours must have been served in 2009.