Volunteers from 6th ASG honored
at ceremony in Stuttgart
By David Josar, Stuttgart bureau
STUTTGART,
Germany — More than 1,300 volunteers within the 6th Area Support Group were honored
this week at a special ceremony for donating more than 78,000 hours of time the past year.
They
volunteered for projects and causes ranging from tutoring to working at the on-base thrift
store to planning social events for poor German children.
Special
awards went to Luke Rogers for outstanding teen volunteer, Patricia Giero and Elizabeth
Malone for outstanding volunteers and Paul Sklar for volunteer of the year.
"You
volunteer because you care," said keynote speaker Barbara Petrosky, wife of Lt. Gen.
Daniel Petrosky, the U.S. European Command chief of staff. "We in Stuttgart are
better because you care."
Giero, who
volunteered for 3½ years with the Red Cross in Stuttgart, said she found the experience
fulfilling. "It’s very rewarding," Giero said.
Giero
taught people CPR, first aid and how to operate an automatic exterior defibrillator, a
compact device that a layperson can use to shock a person’s heart to get it to resume
beating.
Giero
estimated she volunteered enough hours to consider the experience a full-time job.
Not all
volunteers need to donate that many hours to make a difference. Army Staff Sgt. Vicente
Camacho teaches tae kwon do to children. "It’s rewarding to work with kids,
especially in this environment when it’s difficult to find things to do
off-base," he said.
Army Sgt.
Chaka Dowdell began volunteering last fall with Better Opportunities for Single Soldiers
and is now vice president of the group.
"I
love it. It gives me a way to get out of the barracks and do great things for the
children," Dowdell said, referring to service projects the group does with
Stuttgart-area youth who live in a nearby group home.
Dowdell
said this has been the first time she volunteered and that she didn’t have any
special skills. But she cautioned that a person thinking about volunteering should
carefully consider what they’re doing. "It takes dedication, will and
drive," she said.
Nicole
Johnson, the installation volunteer coordinator, placed the amount of time volunteered in
the ASG at around 78,000.
"Everyone
is involved," Johnson said, "from little kids to adults."
Johnson
said her office maintains a database of volunteer opportunities that helps match people
with positions that complement their skills and interests.
At the
volunteer appreciation ceremony Thursday, a symbolic check for more than $1 million
representing the value of the donated time was given to 6th ASG Commander Col. Larry
Stubblefield.
About 200
people attended the ceremony at the Patch Community Club.
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