More than 150 volunteers recently attended Old Colony Elder Services (OCES) Annual Volunteer Appreciation and Awards Ceremony held at Indian Pond Country Club in Kingston. Eight volunteers received special awards.
OCES, the non-profit agency proudly serving older adults and individuals with disabilities throughout greater Plymouth County, honored their volunteers, who generously donate their time to help others, with a Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon.
Armindo Rocha, Volunteer Programs Manager and Cidalia America, Volunteer Program Assistant hosted the event and presented President’s Volunteer Service – Lifetime Achievement and Annual Gold awards along with OCES’ Make A Difference awards to the eight volunteers.
OCES is a National President’s Volunteer Service Award (PVSA) Certifying Organization. The PVSA honors outstanding volunteers and recognizes the impact they make. The PVSA’s highest honor, the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award recognizing more than 4,000 volunteer hours in a lifetime, was presented to two volunteers. Joseph Tyler Jr., a resident of Halifax, has impacted others with his smile and sense of humor for many years as a volunteer; and Bill Raymond, a resident of Middleboro, who volunteers by transporting seniors to their medical appointments regardless of location and will volunteer 8 hours a day driving if needed.
The PVSA’s Annual Gold Award, marking more than 500 volunteer hours for the year, was presented to four volunteers: Steve Sundell of Easton, a SHINE Counselor for 12 years; Fred Ciliberto of Hanover, a volunteer for many years at the Hanover COA; Walter Hempel of Duxbury, a long-time volunteer of both the Duxbury COA as well as the Project Gurnet & Bug Lights, Inc.; and John Ruthkowski of Duxbury, who has been involved with AARP tax preparation for several years, devoting well over 700 hours each year to the Kingston and Duxbury COAs to prepare taxes for more than 250 clients.
The Make a Difference Award is given by OCES and RSVP-PC to recognize exceptional volunteers for their dedication to helping others making a big impact on the community. This award was presented to: John Durnan of Duxbury, who has been traveling to Brockton to deliver meals since the beginning of the pandemic in 2020; and G. Mike Pauley of Brockton, a longtime volunteer at the Caffrey Towers and Campello High Rise buildings in Brockton who was instrumental in delivering meals during the pandemic.
“We truly appreciate all of our volunteers for their dedication to helping others, assisting those in need in our communities, and making the world a better place,” said Armindo Rocha, OCES’ Volunteer Manager.
