Today was a special day. One of the couples we have become friends with here at Saylorville over the past 2 seasons, were honored today.
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Commander Satinger, Judy, Will and Emma[/caption]Will and Judy Carter have been full-time RV Volunteers for some 18 years now. They have spent every summer of those years here at Saylorville for the same reason we will, the kids are here and they love this place. We have had the privilege of getting to know them and consider them friends.In the summer they are our across the street neighbors here in our village. They are the very model of what Champ and I hope to experience, both longevity in the life style and a variety of jobs over the years to keep it interesting.
Last fall the volunteer coordinator nominated them for the National Corps of Engineers Volunteer of the Year Award. She received word this past winter that they had been chosen. Will and Judy aren’t big fans of public recognition. It was hard to convince them that a lunch and formal presentation was an okay thing to do. The District Commander from Rock Island came along with Corps Foundation Officers to present the award to them and thank them publicly for their hard work and dedication over the years. Emma, the volunteer coordinator went to great lengths to be sure the other volunteers here at the lake could get away from their duties and come celebrate with them.
It was neat to see them be honored in such a way. They have both become very dear to us. I was also amazed to hear the commander share that the Rock Island District alone (basically the upper Mississippi Valley area) utilizes an average of 900 volunteers working 50,000 hours collectively each year! When people ask me if the parks use a lot of volunteers, I have always responded very confidently that volunteers are a big part of the efforts at most parks. I was stunned to hear that notion be quantified with such large sums.
My part-time job allowed me the day off to be able to celebrate with them. “Thanks, Alayna!” The informal festivities will take place on their patio, in the form of happy hour later on.
Until tomorrow…
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