Ansbach community honors volunteers' continued dedication, hard work

By Mr. Stephen Baack (IMCOM)April 28, 2015

Ansbach community honors volunteers' continued dedication, hard work
1 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – ANSBACH, Germany (April 28, 2015) -- Col. Christopher M. Benson, U.S. Army Garrison Ansbach commander, speaks during the April 23 volunteer recognition ceremony at the Von Steuben Community Center here. (U.S. Army photo by Stephen Baack, USAG Ansbach... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Ansbach community honors volunteers' continued dedication, hard work
2 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – ANSBACH, Germany (April 28, 2015) -- Volunteers and attendees stand together with a symbolic check that shows the hours of work and the savings U.S. Army Garrison Ansbach's volunteers have given the garrison from April 1, 2014, to March 31, 2015 -- 3... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Ansbach community honors volunteers' continued dedication, hard work
3 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – ANSBACH, Germany (April 28, 2015) -- The Family Member Volunteer of the Year, the Soldier Volunteer of the Year and the Retiree Volunteer of the Year are honored during the April 23 volunteer recognition ceremony at the Von Steuben Community Center h... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

ANSBACH, Germany (April 28, 2015) -- U.S. Army Garrison Ansbach community members gathered to recognize the community's volunteers during an April 23 ceremony at the Von Steuben Community Center here.

From April 1, 2014, to March 31, 2015, volunteers of the USAG Ansbach community racked up 33,136 hours, worth an estimated $733,631, according to USAG Ansbach Army Community Service officials.

At the start of the ceremony, Danielle O'Donnell, USAG Ansbach Volunteer Corps coordinator, presented a symbolic check on behalf of the volunteers and ACS in that amount to Col. Christopher M. Benson, USAG Ansbach commander, and Command Sgt. Maj. Mark A. Kiefer, garrison command sergeant major.

The ceremony honored 20 volunteers, most of whom were in three main categories: those with at least 300 hours of volunteer service, those with at least 500 hours, and those with at least 1,000 hours. Additionally, the ceremony honored three Volunteer of the Year awardees -- one of whom was also recognized for accruing more than 1,000 hours of volunteer service.

Though not all volunteers were present during the ceremony, 15 of them received certificates, awards and recognition on site.

The Family Member Volunteer of the Year, the Soldier Volunteer of the Year and the Retiree Volunteer of the Year were nominated by their unit or organization, and each received a certificate of achievement and a framed painting of Ansbach.

- Family Member Volunteer of the Year: Heather Stallings (with more than 1,000 hours)

- Soldier Volunteer of the Year: Spc. Angiel James

- Retiree Volunteer of the Year: Kenneth Aungst

"Volunteer Appreciation Month is about inspiring and encouraging people to seek out imaginative ways to engage in their communities," said Benson, who served as keynote speaker. "It's about recognizing that when we work together, we have the ability to meet our challenges and accomplish our goals. And finally, this month is about discovering and actively demonstrating our collective power to make a difference."

Benson spoke directly to the volunteers, telling them, "You truly are the heart of this installation."

"As volunteers, you play an essential role in our installation programs that affect the lives and readiness of our Soldiers and their Families," said Benson. "You generously give the gift of time to so many people and you selflessly provide support, encouragement, humor and passion to make someone's day a little brighter."

After the presentation of awards and certificates, Priscilla Nastasia, chief of Army Community Service, made closing remarks.

"Thank you for everything that you do," Nastasia told the volunteers. "This is the best hometown, truly, that I've ever worked in, and I've been around the Army for a little while as a Soldier and as a civilian employee. Hands down, this is the best -- greatest relationships, greatest community, greatest teamwork -- and you all do that for us."

To find out how you can volunteer, call Army Community Service at Katterbach Kaserne at 467-2883/2846 or at Storck Barracks at 467-4555/4764, or refer to the Army Community Service link in the "Related Links" section to the right of this article. Then scroll down and click to expand the blue "Volunteer" tab.

Related Links:

USAG Ansbach Army Community Service

Team Ansbach blog site

USAG Ansbach official home page

Franconian News: USAG Ansbach's official news page

USAG Ansbach official Twitter feed

USAG Ansbach official Facebook page

USAG Ansbach official Flickr page

USAG Ansbach official YouTube channel