The Office of
Volunteer Services
links citizens with opportunities to share their time with city government. The office recruits, places, tracks and recognizes volunteers for their efforts.

2005 Volunteers In Action

December 2005

TreeKeepers, Barbara Ball, Jeff Comparato, Buddy Hardwick, Dan Hunziker, James Kaufman, Larry Kellerman, George March, Vanessa melton, Larry Metcalf, Bill Reniker and Brad Stevenson braved the cold on Saturday, December 3, to plant 25 ball and burlap trees as the work continues on the Grindstone Dolomite Forest restoration. Thanks!
Ho Ho Ho! Many thanks to Lindsey Baumgartner, Patrika Brown, Marissa Hoppe, Afton Pratt and the men of MU's Sigma Tau Gamma fraternity for their enthusiastic help answering phones for the Santa Hotline on Saturday, December 8.
Without the 130+ volunteers from throughout our community working together, First Night would not have happened again this year. Our gratitude and thanks go out to the Site Managers, Ambassadors, Ticket and Merchandise Sales people, Ushers, Survey-Takers, Carriage Ride Assistants and Bubble-Wrap installers.

November 2005

Thanks to David & Diane O'Hagan for providing daylilies to the City of Columbia Adopt-A-Spot Beautification program.
Congratulations to George & Shirley Marshall who were nominated for the Retired & Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) volunteer of the year. George & Shirley were recognized on November 5.
Over 30 volunteers gathered at the Fairview United Methodist Church on Wednesday, November 2 to practice setting up a volunteer reception center in the event of a disaster. Thank you for your time!
MU Student Holly Bahr is assisting the Office of Volunteer Services with recruiting volunteers for First Night 2006.
Thanks go out to the members of Columbia Independent School National Honor Society for their work on the Adopt A Spot Beautification bed. Good job!
Thanks to Sigma Tau Gamma members, Brad White, Boug Lehmann, Mark Karr, Ryan Chaney and Joe Oliaro for helping Parks and Recreation with the Fowl Shooting Contest at the Sports Armory this year!
TreeKeepers, Vanessa Melton, Greg Leonard, Brad Stevenson, Afton Pratt, Bill Reniker, Robert Acton, Larry Kellerman, Jean Saz, Shannon Murray, Barbara Ball and James Kaufmann, completed the second phase of the Grindstone Dolomite Forest restoration project on November 13. Thanks for all you do!

October 2005

Special thanks to the MU Student Society of Civil Engineers, Chuck Poston, Clarice Baragary, Tom Hiles, Mike Astrak and Nick Harvey for their help on phase one of the Grindstone Park dolomite forest restoration project along with nine TreeKeepers on Saturday, October 8.
Thanks go out to Ryan Rounkles for his hard work tending an adopt a spot beautification landscape bed this month as preparation for his entry to the Peace Corps.
Chapman Heating & Air Conditioning has installed new landscaping at their Adopt A Spot bed located north of Stadium Boulevard at the Forum Boulevard intersection.
Meg Duffy is working on a scrapbook to record the history fo First Night 2006.
Thanks to Larry Barringhaus for turning the water off to our Adopt A Spot landscape beds.
Fun City Youth Academy participated in a stream cleanup with Public Works-Stormwater. This is the third year of participation for Fun City and they are still enthusiastic! Continued thanks to them all!
Thanks to Henry Antolak for gretting hurricane evacuees at the MARC.
The newly mulched Adopt A Spot Beautification landscaped beds are thanks to Hunter's Gate Neighborhood Association, Garth & Blueridge roundabout, BAHA'I Faith, Broadfield St. and The Aktion Club of Columbia, corner of Paris and Hinkson.
Special continuing thanks to Jody Stotsky, who has supplied and assisted in planting many perrenials in various Adopt A Spot beautification landscape beds around town this season.
Thank go out to two CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) members, Fa'tima Miller and Steve Wise, who have gone to help with hurricane relief in Louisiana. This is Fa'tima's second deployment to that region.

September 2005

Thanks to Jody Stotsky who has provided dozens of plants this fall for Adopt-A-Spot beds. Jody has divided plants from her beautiful yard!
Members of Beta Theta Pi gave nearly 100 hours to cleanup Adopt-A-Spot beds in Forum Boulevard. Enjoy the drive down Forum Boulevard!
Dozens of volunteers made the Festival of the Arts a wonderful success on September 24 & 25. Thanks to all those who helped!!
Park Patrol volunteer Tom Masters shared his experiences with new Park Patrol volunteers at the training on September 21.
Thanks to the dozens of volunteers who helped at the Heritage Festival on September 17 & 18. Volunteers helped in the children's area, conducted surveys, and helped in parking.
Courtney O'Shaughnessy helped with planting and mulching on September 10 during a Grow Native! demonstration yard planting.
Don Waltman and members of the Northwest Rotary are taking over an Adopt-A-Spot bed in Brown Station Road.
CERT Volunteer Fa'tima Miller is working at the Houston Astrodome following Hurricane Katrina. Fa'tima was part of the 04 response to the Florida Hurricanes.

August 2005

Tre Hern was selected as the "Most Valuable Volunteer" for the Youth In Action, a volunteer program for kids 12-15 years of age. Dylan Conn logged the most hours throughout the summer.

Thanks to MU Students from the Psychology FIG (Freshman Interest Group) for planting the median bed in Forum Boulevard near the intersection of Dunbar on Saturday, August 20. The bed will soon be adopted by Charlie & Laurie Digges.
A dozen TreeKeeper volunteers helped remove honeysuckle that was invading the parking lot and shelter near Maplewood Drive at Kiwanis Park on Saturday, August 20.
Alisa Hutchison, an MU Veterinary Medicine Student, cleaned out debris from the Blind Boone Home that is currently under renovation.
Members of MU's Alpha Tau Omega assisted Columbia transit in distributing information on the city's bus system to students and parents at Lange Middle School on August 15 & 16.