USAG DAEGU, South Korea -- United States Army Garrison Daegu conducted the annual Volunteer Awards Ceremony at the Camp Walker Evergreen Club, April 19 to congratulate and appreciate volunteers who devoted thousands of hours to the USAG Daegu community. In 2017, hundreds of local volunteers donated 81,656 hours of work, saving the garrison $1,923,815.
USAG Daegu Commander Col. Robert P. Mann Jr. and Garrison Command Sgt. Maj. Juan A. Abreu attended the ceremony to congratulate the volunteers. Outstanding volunteer teams and individuals in coach, family member, the youth, DA civilians, retiree, Korean national and outstanding volunteer of the year categories were awarded for their selfless service to the community. One individual, Julie Curran was selected as the 2017 Outstanding Volunteer of the Year.
Community Services Program Manager, Leslie Smith discussed her feelings about the volunteer program and how it improves the quality of life for the USAG Daegu community.
"The importance of the volunteers is extremely valuable because we can't fill so many positions here. So, having volunteers fill those positions that we don't have available helps a lot. It helps them with their ability to learn new skills and it also helps the organizations to get the additional help they need," said Mrs. Smith.
Outstanding Volunteer of the Year, Julie Curran remarked "I volunteered to make the community a lot better, to improve our camaraderie and to make it a better place for everyone else that's coming in new because they're out of the country, they don't know the area around here. So I'm trying to do anything that can make them more comfortable. Volunteering is important because that's how we can improve our community here. I feel that if you volunteer you can enhance your quality of life. I would say come on out and do it because if you stay home, you're just going to be bored and depressed. You need to get out and meet people, motivate them and make them feel at home. That's the best thing you can do and make your environment a lot better for yourself."
The youngest age which one can volunteer is 12 with a parent's permission, or you can start at age of 14 through school programs. You can contact Leslie Smith at Army Community Service for more information regarding the volunteer program or visit www.myarmyonesource.com .
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