FORT SILL, Okla. (May 4, 2017) -- When Jonathan Perez was 8 years old, he and his single mother lived in a domestic shelter for one year in Los Angeles. The shelter's staff was dedicated to helping them get back on their feet, which included finding an apartment for them, he said.
Perez never forgot the compassion of the staff, and the impression it made on him. Today as part of his volunteer activities, he works at the C. Carter Crane Shelter for the Homeless in Lawton, averaging about 12 hours per week. He assists with food drives and spends time with the residents, some of which are veterans.
"In a way I guess it's me trying to repay everyone who helped me when I was a little kid," Perez said.
Drill Sergeant (Staff Sgt.) Perez, 95th Adjutant General Battalion (Reception), was one of 22 volunteers recognized April 28, during the Fort Sill Helping Hands award ceremony. The event acclaimed the contributions of the installation's volunteers to the Lawton-Fort Sill community, and honored its active-duty, spouse, and retiree volunteers of the year.
During the ceremony which had a 1950s sock-hop theme, a symbolic, oversized check for over $1.6 million, was unveiled by Brenda Spencer-Ragland, Fort Sill Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation director; and Maj. Gen. Brian McKiernan, Fires Center of Excellence and Fort Sill commanding general. The check represented the monetary value of the post's 3,500 volunteers' time donated during 2016.
The general thanked the volunteers for making a good community even better.
"I know that you do not volunteer for recognition," McKiernan said. "I know you do it because it's giving back to the community, because there is something inside you that tells you it's the right thing to do."
McKiernan and FCoE and Fort Sill Command Sgt. Maj. Carl Fagan presented certificates of appreciation to all the nominees. The three volunteers of the year also each received a framed two-star note, CG's coin of excellence, and a Fort Sill Artillery Half Section blanket.
Jean Mills, Army Community Service director, said volunteers are a tremendous asset to Fort Sill.
"They really extend the Army's budget, if you look at it," she said. And, many of the programs would not be as robust as they are without volunteers.
Volunteers of all ages serve in a range of positions at units, organizations and agencies, said Natira McGee, Army Volunteer Corps program manager.
They volunteer in family readiness groups, Child and Youth Services sports programs, Better Opportunities for Single Soldiers, chapels, Post Thrift Store, Red Cross, tax center, numerous off-post agencies, and many more.
"I just registered a 10-year-old to volunteer at Nye Library," McGee said.
Battalions and agencies nominated their outstanding volunteers to become the post's volunteers of the year. The winners were selected by a panel made up of a senior commander, senior military spouse, DA civilian, and retiree, McGee said. They scrutinized nominee packets for community involvement and impact, hours donated, team work, leadership, and more.
"Oh my gosh, the (nominee) scores were so close," she said.
VOLUNTEERS OF THE YEAR
Staff Sgt. Dale Chaffey, 2nd Battalion, 6th Air Defense Artillery, is the active-duty volunteer of the year.
"I love volunteering, it's something I'm very passionate about," said Chaffey, who works as an Air Defense Battle System Operator (MOS 14G) Advanced Individual Training senior instructor.
Much of his volunteer activities involved his two daughters. This included sports coaching on multiple Child and Youth Services teams, as well as working with Fort Sill Girl Scout Troop 648. He added that he gets his AIT Soldiers involved in community service.
The spouse volunteer of the year is Laura Trentham, who works with 3rd Battalion, 13th Field Artillery. She said it's her love of spouses and Soldiers that sustains her commitment to volunteering, which she has been doing for 17 years.
She said being selected as volunteer of the year felt a little strange.
"I don't do it to be awarded things, I do it because I want to help other people," she said.
Trentham volunteered with the 3-13th FA as a roster key caller, and as part of the care team, or casualty notification; and at the Protestant Women of the Chapel as a financial officer and publicist. She's also on the Patriot Spouses Club executive board as a parliamentarian.
Former Army officer, and retired DA civilian Rose Mary Bazor is the retiree volunteer of the year. She volunteered as a counselor at the Income Tax Assistance Center and as a Red Cross volunteer at Reynolds Army Health Clinic.
She said she was honored and surprised to be selected.
Why does she volunteer?
"It gives me great pride every day to help the Soldiers, their dependents, and retirees to do their taxes," she said. Bazor has over 6,800 hours of volunteer service to the community, according to Volunteer Management Information System records.
The Helping Hands ceremony was the culmination of activities during Volunteer Appreciation Week, April 23 through 29, McGee said. Units used the week to recognize their volunteers with events in their shops; and a postwide volunteer ice cream social April 27, at the Patriot Club drew about 260 people.
HONOREES
Military unit volunteers
FCoE Sgt. Angelique Mahome
FCoE Spc. Anilson Posades
1-40th FA Staff Sgt. Daniel Beard
1-40th FA Britannie Bowsher
95th AG Drill Sergeant (Staff Sgt.) Jonathan Perez
2-20th FA Staff Sgt. Shawn Cavender
3-13th FA Laura Trentham
2-18th FA Angela Bunn
2-4th FA 1st Lt. Oniel Rhooms
1-14th FA 1st Lt. Justin Cooley
3-6th Air Defense Artillery Staff Sgt. Joshua Bell
2-6th ADA Staff Sgt. Dale Chaffey
2-6th ADA Sgt. 1st Class Daniel Roletto
4-3rd ADA Spc. Kenyatta Chapman
4-3rd ADA Staff Sgt. Carlos Muñiz
Agency volunteers
Armed Services YMCA Michelle Meggs
MWR, ACS Juanita Tiffany
MWR, fitness center Debra Cheek-Miller
MWR, youth sports Noelani Roman
Tax center Rose Mary Bazor
Post chapel Sgt. 1st Class Steven Tucker
Post Thrift Shop Tammy Huffman
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