Lakewood's Volunteer Heroes!

[Gary Rice]

Today was a very special day, being the day that Lakewood honored its nearly five hundred community volunteers at the 37th annual Volunteer Recognition Celebration/Breakfast, held this morning at Brennan's Party Center.

There were four hundred and sixty-one people, and numerous organizations honored today, for their voluntary contributions to the betterment of our Lakewood community.

Mayor Michael Summers presided over the presentation of awards, and the Lakewood High School Jazz Band, along with myself and my father (on banjo and fiddle respectively) provided 2 distinctive styles of entertainment for the guests.

Lakewood's volunteer program is one of our community's truly outstanding gems. Volunteers from all walks of life put aside their personal or political differences for the higher goal of simply helping others.

Anyone wishing to be a part of Lakewood's solutions should contact the Volunteer Services Supervisor Barry Wemyss, at Lakewood's Senior Center West during business hours.

Just one example here: Just imagine having to deliver as many as 15 meals in one day to Lakewood's needful during the ice, cold, and snow of last winter.

Volunteers are amazing!

Thanks indeed to Lakewood's volunteers!

Back to the banjo...

[Michael Deneen]

This town is chock full of amazing people.

Volunteers make this town happen....city hall, schools, churches, our numerous non-profits institutions, and a certain "citizen journalism" project.

[Jim O'Bryan]

This town is chock full of amazing people.

Volunteers make this town happen....city hall, schools, churches, our numerous non-profits institutions, and a certain "citizen journalism" project.

Mike

No need to put "citizen journalism" project" in that line.

Allow the 501-C3 Volunteers their day in the sun.

The Lakewood Observer, Inc. is not a non-profit, in the ordinary sense, we are a tax-paying
S-Corp that is designed not to make a profit, through various ways of giving back to the
community. Since being formed The Lakewood Observer has given Library, Schools, City
Hall, LakewoodAlive, churches, non-profits over $500,000 in sponsorship, (money and in-kind).
This is one of the major reasons it was created.*

The subtle difference is, we can work with people outside of our "directive" something
501-C3 are not allowed to do.

The original group, which you were part of, had decided to not compete for donations,
or grants from organizations in this town. Instead we would develop a sustainable model
that would reach out to as many people, as many ways as we could, within a homegrown
budget and workforce.

Give the volunteers there moment in the sun, they deserve it.

With out them...

... I do not even want to think about it.

Standing ovation to anyone taking the time to make the community better for all.

Especially the volunteers.

* neither deb or i receive a paycheck from Lakewood Observer, Inc.

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