Get to Know Our Volunteer Award Winners
Don, Doeksen-Hubbs Center, 2,040 hours
"I love volunteering with Hubbs Center because I love working with all the people Hubbs serves, and with all the Hubbs staff who work with everyone to make Hubbs adult education happen. The students are fantastic as they are going the extra mile of extending themselves to enrich their lives through Hubbs education while typically managing very full lives of responsibilities as mothers, daughters, fathers, sons. These students really, really, really WANT to learn. They are a continuous pleasure to work with, and there are Hubbs staff who likewise really really really want to do everything possible to facilitate this! I LOVE it, Hubbs, the students!!!!"
Janet Urbanowicz, Open Door Saint Paul 1,041 hours
"I love working with adult learners because they are very focused and determined as well as very warm and appreciative. Also, I find their life experiences interesting."
Janet has been volunteering with Open Door Saint Paul since 2012!
Kathleen (Kitty) Megarry, American Indian OIC, 1,360 hours
Meet Ms. Kitty (Kathleen, she prefers we call her Kitty)! We absolutely love her. If we could hire her, we would, believe me, we tried!
Kathleen is very dedicated to our students, and our students enjoy and look forward to working with her every day.
Ken Gilmore, Open Door Saint Paul 1,338 hours - Award Winner for Volunteer Service Award
With the direction of the lead teachers, I can have fun volunteering with adult learners. Adult learners make their own decisions about how they will spend their time. In working with them I can feel they want to learn English and I see them show up for hours each day to learn.
I feel truly appreciated by them for what I know and for my willingness to share. Then I get to feel delighted when each student makes discoveries in English and then is eager to move on to new things. I feel privileged to work with them each day.
Deborah Schedemann, Pre-GED Open Door Minneapolis - Award Winner for Outstanding Volunteer Award
“The classroom is my happy place because we are all striving to learn. I find the subjects interesting, of course. But more than that, I admire the initiative and resilience of the students. I appreciate the opportunity to facilitate their individual journeys as learners. And I cherish the supportiveness of our community: Natalie, the other volunteers, and the students.”
Marjorie (Margie) Hogan, Pre-GED Open Door Minneapolis - Award Winner for Outstanding Volunteer Award
“I am inspired by the amazing, courageous, and committed students I've met in Literacy MN classes: pre-beginning all the way through pre-GED. For all these years, I leave my classes truly feeling a sense of joy.”
Todd Grant, Pre-GED Open Door Minneapolis - Award Winner for Outstanding Volunteer Award
“The process of learning seems like magic to me.”
Victor Wang, Metro South ABE - Award Winner for Outstanding Volunteer Award
"For me particularly, volunteering here is a two-way process. You help others see the value and the growth. And you help yourself see your value and your growth. So it's a two-way education here and that's why I enjoy volunteering here."
Michelle Lamardo, Osseo ABE - Award Winner for Outstanding Volunteer Award
"What I love, and what has inspired me for nearly 10 years as an ABE volunteer, is seeing how students bring real and meaningful purpose to “perseverance and commitment”. Supporting them as they work toward their academic goals, so they gain more tools to reach their dreams, is only part of this journey; connecting with them, learning from their stories, celebrating their triumphs and encouraging them as they face obstacles is what truly completes this wonderful life experience."