volunteer of the year 2011


posted by Walter Grio on ,

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This nomination letter written by the Lisner-Louise-Dickson-Hurt Home was read aloud during the awards ceremony at the DC Health Care Association's annual convention. I am still speechless.

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Sometimes miracles do happen. Sometimes someone so special, so dynamic, so sincere in their desire to help others comes along and truly rocks your world. That happened to this facility in the form of our nominee for Volunteer of the Year for 2011. It is not often that one finds in someone so young such an amazing willingness to give in both time and talent. By day, this young man works a full-time job in the information technology field; by night, he runs a photography business where all the money he earns goes to charities he supports.

We were extraordinarily fortunate to have him discover us in the course of doing a charity photo shoot at another DC nonprofit. He was so taken by what he heard about our facility that he contacted us and asked if he could help us in our fundraising efforts. And his involvement was not just personal. He reached out to others among his circle of friends and acquaintances and told them about us, urging them to become our supporters as well. He sought out other volunteers to assist us in our spring fundraising event including a vocalist, a portrait artist, a videographer, a writer, and members of the local media. His impact on this facility in terms of spreading our message of service to the elderly of DC has been immense but we aren't alone in benefiting from his involvement. His philanthropic efforts extend across the greater Washington DC metropolitan area, helping to raise more than $60,000 for various non-profit organizations since 2006.

But the money he has helped us raise and the exposure his efforts have provided this facility aren't this individual's only gifts. He has taken the residents into his heart and has demonstrated a pureness of spirit that is almost too good to be true. He loves interacting with the seniors and takes the time to really listen to their stories and their own histories. He is genuinely one of the kindest and most selfless individuals we have ever encountered. He is already helping us to plan an especially large anniversary gala and remains committed to seeing to it that our viability as a long term care institution is protected for future generations of the city's elderly. He has raised the bar against which all other volunteers to this facility will be measured. Words are frankly insufficient to express our gratitude for what he has done and what he continues to do on behalf of this facility and those we serve. It gives us great pleasure to nominate this exceptional young man for DCHCA's Volunteer of the Year.