Garrison volunteers recognized for selfless service

By Mr. Jack Wiers (IMCOM)April 5, 2013

Volunteer Recognition Ceremony
Maj. Gen. Kurt S. Fuller, commander 25th Infantry Division (bottom row, third from right), joins USAG-HI Commander Col. Daniel Whitney (top row left) as they recognize installation volunteer efforts, March 27, 2013, at the annual garrison Volunteer R... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

FORT SHAFTER, Hawaii (April 5, 2013) -- The reasons for the donation of hours for a variety of tasks vary, but hundreds of Soldiers, family members and civilians were feted together, March 27, at Fort Shafter's Hale Ikena, for a year of selfless volunteer service that assisted U.S. Army Garrison-Hawaii's programs, services and community members.

The annual Volunteer Recognition Ceremony provided U.S. Army command members the opportunity to say "thank you" to the documented 2,048 volunteers who provided 80,461 hours of service during 2012 for the garrison.

By providing more than 1,350 hours of service during the year, Laura Miller, an education assistant working for the Soldier and Family Assistance Center, part of Army Community Service, Directorate of Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation, received praise at the awards ceremony for her SFAC assistance commitment.

The combined volunteer efforts, tracked through the Volunteer Management Information System, were valued at the equivalent of $3,755,606.

Dan Furlano, director, ACS, DFMWR, presented a check for the equivalent sum to Col. Daniel Whitney, USAG-HI commander, and Command Sgt. Major Philip Brunwald, senior enlisted leader.

Whitney stressed, during informal remarks, that the volunteers' help was even more essential during current austere times, as the entire community is called upon for teamwork in an effort to maintain Soldier readiness.

Maj. Gen. Kurt Fuller, the commander 25th Infantry Division at Schofield Barracks, recognized the more than 150 in attendance. While he paid tribute to their service, he also reflected on the creation of the Army Volunteer Corps, created in 2002.

"Today, as we in the Army face these very difficult and challenging fiscal times," said Fuller, "please know that it would be virtually impossible without you -- our dedicated volunteers -- for our many family programs to offer the variety and quality of services that they provide.

"The Army Volunteer Corps was not created as a 'new bureaucracy,' but rather as a new way of thinking about volunteerism, using existing Army resources and programs," Fuller explained. "It formalizes the Army's commitment to volunteerism."

Related Links:

ACS: Volunteering