Eight area volunteers receive Jefferson Awards for volunteerism

This region is blessed with people willing to give time and money to varied efforts. Wednesday night, eight of those special people get their due honors for volunteerism — and one will advance to the national Jefferson Awards ceremony in Washington, D.C.Officials said they received an unusually low number of nominations this year for the local Jefferson Awards: only 24. That doesn’t take away from the quality of contributions of those who were nominated. Volunteers make their communities — those places where everyone reading these words live — better places.The Lima News sponsors the awards along with WLIO and the United Way of Greater Lima. The three organizations will honor the eight local recipients Wednesday night. Dan Endicott, chairman of the board of judges, told The Lima News for a story today that the banquet is one way to thank winners, who bring gifts to the community that could not be replaced.Each of the eight will receive a bronze medal and a $350 donation to his or her respective charity. The person who advances to the national ceremony in Washington will receive an additional $700 for the charity. That person also will be among those selected by more than 150 media outlets nationwide for the national awards.Volunteers are the backbone of any strong community. They all deserve our thanks. The eight who will receive special recognition, in alphabetic order, and some of the causes they benefit:• Nancy Badertscher has been a volunteer in Bluffton for more than 20 years despite a debilitating condition that led her to use a wheelchair since she was a teen. She devotes time to Bluffton Elementary School and Mennonite Memorial Home.• Lula Fields coordinates and implements weekly parent education classes for young at-risk families as a volunteer for BABY Project, which she helped establish in 1989. She also has become a surrogate mother who offers guidance to participants in the program.• Ronald Grothouse has done much to make Delphos a better community, greeting students and helping with sports programs in Delphos Jefferson schools. Grothouse also supports and participates in Relay for Life, transports cancer patients to appointments and works to improve the parks in Delphos through the Delphos Stadium Club.• Gary Levitt is the founder, fundraiser and curator of the Delphos Museum of Postal History, which is one of two in the nation. He’s been involved in the United Way of Greater Lima, and he’s held various offices and served on several boards, including the American Red Cross, the Delphos Senior Citizens and the Delphos Chamber of Commerce, where he is board president.• Martha Noonan began volunteering by organizing a Girl Scout troop for her children. Her strongest passion is for military personnel and veterans. She is active in the Ladies Auxiliary of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1275. She served as chairwoman of Make a Difference Day, helping Our Daily Bread Soup Kitchen, and she organized bingo for the Elderly Day Care Center.• Sandra Monfort has been involved in Camp Sunrise, a camp for children impacted by HIV/AIDS, since its inception. She volunteers for the Lima City Middle School soccer program and the Lima Police Department/Lima Exchange Club Roller Hockey League. She also donated a kidney to a co-worker.• Bob Thompson serves as chairman of the Mobile Meals program and volunteers in the Lima Memorial Health System auxiliary. He oversees more than 60 volunteers delivering meals through the work week, and he fills in when others cannot show up. He developed a strategic plan to make the auxiliary better-rounded. He is credited with completing a five-year, $250,000 pledge drive in 3.5 years.• Roselia Deters Verhoff has more than 30 years of volunteer service in Putnam County, including her work with the historical society. Verhoff is also active in the Putnam County Board of MR/DD, the Ottawa Chamber of Commerce, her church, area schools, ArtSpace/Lima and other entities. She has donated more than 85 pints of blood to the American Red Cross.