Southeastern Colorado Volunteer Recognition Awards

By Jennifer Marsh

Red Cross volunteers are generally the kind of people who get up in the morning, get the job done, and do not make a big fuss about it. But when you pack a room full of volunteers who have gone above and beyond the call of duty, you hear some amazing stories, and a big fuss is made.

The Red Cross of Southeastern Colorado celebrated its best and brightest April 23. Group and individual awards celebrated the diversity of the Red Cross mission and the creativity, passion and dedication that volunteers put into their work.

Larry Cornett, Volunteer of the Year Award. Photo by Richard Firth

The Chapter Volunteer of the Year went to Larry
Cornett, who in four years has doubled
the size of the instructor cadre, organized training academies, deployed to Texas and run multiple classes. He has taken almost every Red Cross class available. Additionally, he has taught numerous classes in rural Colorado areas, teaching people how to take care of their own until additional help can reach them in the event of an emergency.

Chaffee County Disaster Response Team. Photo by Richard Firth

The Chaffee County Disaster Response Team deployed to open a shelter to assist those affected by the Cottonwood Lake Mudslides on July 2, 2015. Lead by Cheryl Rasuchke, Bill Zollinger and Jim LiVecchi, this team served their community in a time of need and for that received the Ready When the Time Comes Award.

Barbara Bunn  received the Debby MacSwain Passion for Service Award. Photo by Richard Firth

The Debby MacSwain Passion for Service Award went to Barbara Bunn who has been with the organization for more than five years. She is a licensed mental health counselor who gives her time helping people recover from disasters. She is a leader in the Chapter and a dedicated volunteer.

Over forty awards were given out to volunteers who not only gave of their time and talent in 2015 to help Red Cross fulfill the promise to prevent and alleviate human suffering in the face of disaster.Thank you to all our volunteers, but hats off to our 2015 volunteer recognition award winners.

More pictures are available on our Flickr page so click here to see all of our award winners.