Outstanding Volunteers Honored By National Park Service
WASHINGTON, DC â€" The sixth annual George B. Hartzog, Jr. Awards for Outstanding Volunteer Service were presented on May 8 in Washington, DC. The National Park Service, the National Park Foundation, and Take Pride in America® recognized the tremendous contributions of Dr. Jennifer Dow, the Flight 93 Volunteer Ambassadors, and the Mount Rainier National Park Volunteer Program.
(Media-Newswire.com) - WASHINGTON, DC – The sixth annual George B. Hartzog, Jr. Awards for Outstanding Volunteer Service were presented on May 8 in Washington, DC.
The National Park Service, the National Park Foundation, and Take Pride in America® recognized the tremendous contributions of Dr. Jennifer Dow, the Flight 93 Volunteer Ambassadors, and the Mount Rainier National Park Volunteer Program.
“The National Park Service is indebted to everyone who selflessly gives his or her time and talent to the parks,” said National Park Service Volunteer Coordinator Joy Pietschmann. “Those honored today are wonderful examples of the creativity and energy of our volunteers.”
The George B. Hartzog, Jr. Award for Outstanding Volunteer Service by an Individual was presented to Dr. Jennifer Dow. Dow, an emergency room physician in Alaska, serves as volunteer medical director for Denali, Wrangell-St. Elias, and Katmai National Parks and Preserves. She assists the emergency medical programs at each site and has made invaluable contributions to the Denali mountaineering program. In addition to her regular volunteer hours, Dow is on call 24 hours a day for emergency medical consultation during the peak months of the climbing season.
The George B. Hartzog, Jr. Award for Outstanding Volunteer Service for a Group was given to the Flight 93 Volunteer Ambassadors. The ambassadors are a self formed group that provides visitor services at the highly emotional Flight 93 National Memorial. Currently, the park has only one paid guide for 144,000 annual visitors. The ambassadors, who donated about 3,500 hours last year, are primarily citizens from the rural Shanksville, PA area where United Airlines Flight 93 was forced down on September 11, 2001. Their ad hoc group was started shortly after the crash to assist visitors wishing to pay their respects to the flight victims. Working without basic utilities at the temporary memorial, this flexible group even gave tours in snow storms and by flashlight after dark.
The George B. Hartzog, Jr. Award for Outstanding Volunteer Service by a Park VIP Program went to Mount Rainier National Park. The Mount Rainier Recovery Initiative started after 18 inches of rain in 36 hours devastated park resources in November, 2006. In partnership with the Student Conservation Association, the park recruited and trained more than 700 volunteers to assist in the rebuilding of roads, trails, and campgrounds. The park also has a strong cadre of regular volunteers who help with basic operations such as patrolling backcountry trails, staffing visitor centers, assisting climbers, and running campgrounds. Overall, 1,724 volunteers contributed more than 84,000 hours of service to the park in 2007.
Many award winners expressed gratitude for being allowed to share their passions with others. Donna Glassor, a founding member of the Flight 93 Ambassadors, said, “We don’t do it because we have to, we do it because it is an honor and we want to. I never imagined I would be able to serve my nation in this way.”
The Hartzog Awards are named for former National Park Service Director George B. Hartzog, Jr. who established the Volunteer-in-Parks ( VIP ) Program in 1970. Last year, 163,000 volunteers nationwide devoted 5.4 million hours of work valued at more than $100 million to national parks.
The National Park Service and the National Park Foundation worked together to organize this volunteer recognition effort. Take Pride in America® is a national partnership that aims to seek, support, and recognize volunteers who work to improve public areas.
- NPS -
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