The United Way of Southwest Michigan has announced the winners of its Volunteer Awards for the year.
The organization held its annual celebration Thursday. The United Way’s Debbie Ramirez tells us about 300 people came out to the Mendel Center in Benton Township for the evening.
“It was exciting,” Ramirez said. “It was great to see so many impact partners and volunteers and corporate representatives, campaign coordinators, all that that have supported our work.”
Ramirez says organizations that have helped the United Way pursue its mission in the past year were awarded for their efforts. Awardees included Whirlpool, the Cook plant, and Kinexus.
There were two volunteer awards — one for Cass County and one for Berrien County. For Cass, the Judge Susan L. Dobrich Volunteer Leadership Award went to Leigh Goyings, who has spent more than three decades guiding Helping Hands of Cass County.
For Berrien, the prestigious Margaret B. Upton Volunteer Leadership Award went to Rick Freridge.
“That was given to Rick Freridge, who was nominated by the St. Joe Lincoln Senior Center and just has a resume of volunteering in the community that is very lengthy with a variety of organizations he’s supported.”
The Frederick S. Upton Foundation will donate $5,000 to a charity of Freridge’s choice.
Ramirez says the keynote speaker at the celebration was John Farden, Vice President of Global Network Advancement and Operations at United Way Worldwide. He talked about United Way efforts all over the globe. Attendees also watched presentations on the YMCA’s Healthy U and Domestic and Sexual Abuse Services program and Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.
