| Joni Pace, center, receives her award from Olene Walker, Lt. Governor. |
Lt. Gov. Olene Walker presented awards to Joni Pace and Dorothy Nelson, both from Green River on March 26 at an awards banquet held at the Provo Marriott Grand Ballroom.
Pace was awarded the Utah Directors of Volunteers’ Volunteer Administrator of the Year Award. In 2001, Pace was assigned the project of renovating an old building into a community center for Green River. The task required more than 1,000 volunteer hours. Pace found both skilled and unskilled laborers to help in the renovation; volunteers replaced piping, installed carpeting, doors and windows, painted and cleaned the building. For three months Pace supervised their efforts.
Pace has since been hired as the program manager for the Green River Community Center. Pace is known for her ability to make volunteers feel appreciated-whether she surprised them with cookies or a gift certificate, she always makes sure her volunteers know how treasured they are.
By learning the individual skills of the volunteers in Green River, Pace is able to place volunteers in a postition that will utilize their talesnt, which provides her community with more effective volunteers. Pace is one of only five volunteers to be presented this award this year.
Nelson was presented with the 117th Governor’s Points of Light Award. She began her volunteering as a leader in 4-H, girl scouts, and church camps as a young girl in northern Alberta, Canada. Nelson is a mother of eight and has also served in PTAs, local libraries and museums. Most recently, Nelson has taught first-aid, CPR and other medical emergency skills to senior citizens within her community She also donates quilts to a fundraiser that raised money to purchase an ambulance defibrillator and training equipment. Thanks to Nelson’s efforts over the past 18 years, Green River has become a safer and more highly trained community. Nelson is among the seven recipients from across the state to receive this award.