Presidents' Volunteer Spirit award 2008
SRP and our employees have always enjoyed a strong reputation in the community. One of the truly remarkable aspects of our employee family is the unwavering commitment to volunteerism that spans the organization. Employees in all areas of SRP breathe life into our efforts to help build stronger communities through hands-on, personal efforts of giving. This volunteer spirit not only provides vital services in the community, it helps define SRP in the eyes of those we serve.
SRP executives share this commitment to volunteerism. In fact, throughout our history, SRP presidents have led by example, investing countless hours in worthy causes throughout the community. For this reason, we are proud to celebrate the first annual SRP Presidents' Volunteer Spirit Awards, which will recognize employees who are themselves leaders in volunteerism and examples of the power of caring. The Presidents' Volunteer Spirit Award represents both our
rich heritage and the ongoing support of our elected leadership for the worthwhile efforts our employees make by volunteering.
2008 Presidents' Volunteer Spirit award recipients
Ruben A. Bejarano
St. Johns Youth Soccer Program
A good coach can leave an impression on a child that lasts a
lifetime. The young athletes of St.
Johns have just such a coach in
Ruben A. Bejarano, whose day job
is SRP Maintenance Planner/
Scheduler for the Coronado
Generating Station. When Ruben
and his family moved to St. Johns
seven years ago, the first thing he
did was sign on with the St. Johns
Youth Soccer Program. Seven years
later, the team has won two state
titles and is the strongest it's ever
been.
Beyond soccer, Ruben has
coached baseball and basketball
teams both in the community and in
the St. Johns school system, delivering
an average of 400 volunteer
hours per month. "Coach B," as the
kids call him, is a sort of St. Johns
sports icon, who has taught
hundreds of kids the value of
sportsmanship and teamwork - two
lessons they will carry with them far
beyond the playing field.
Kim Carpenter
Wellness Community of Central Arizona
The Wellness Community of Central Arizona is dedicated to providing
free emotional support, education
and hope for people with cancer as
well as their loved ones. For the past
three years, Kim Carpenter, Senior
Operations Coordinator with SRP,
has put her love of the outdoors and
her life experience as a breast
cancer survivor to work in support of
the Wellness Community's mission.
In honor of her beloved aunt, Kim founded the Joanne Wood Memorial
fundraising hike to aid the Wellness
Community's operations. The hike
has been tremendously successful,
raising more than $30,000 - funds
that supported the creation of new
breast cancer support groups and
educational seminars. Kim solicits
sponsors, coordinates logistics,
recruits hikers and volunteers and
works with the media to get the word
out about the hike and breast
cancer. It is estimated that more
than 200 breast cancer survivors
were aided last year by programs
supported by Kim's efforts.
Paul Ostapuk
Old Spanish Trail Association (OSTA)
The Old Spanish Trail was opened in 1829 as a trade route between
Santa Fe, New Mexico, and San
Gabriel Mission in California. One
hundred seventy nine years later,
Paul Ostapuk, Manager O/M at
Navajo Generating Station, works to
study, preserve and communicate the
history of the trail as Arizona
Director of the Old Spanish Trail
Association (OSTA).
Paul, who is a lover of all things historical, donates
20 hours a month promoting the
trail, partnering with community
neighbors, improving the group's
operating efficiencies, managing the
OSTA Web site, and growing the
membership base. One of his more
interesting efforts was helping
authenticate an important historical
inscription related to the 1776
Dominguez-Escalante Expedition.
Paul also spends his free time
volunteering with the Glen Canyon
Natural History Association and the
Friends of Lake Powell, lending these
organizations the kind of enthusiasm
and expertise that is helping OSTA
keep our history alive.
Al Dickie
Arizona Dragon Boat Association
Dragon Boat racing is the ultimate team sport, requiring an exceptional
level of group coordination. But for
every boat team, someone needs to
steer. The Arizona Dragon Boat
Association selects a charity each
year to benefit from the group's
annual Dragon Boat Festival on
Tempe Town Lake. The YMCA
Strong Kids Program and the
Arizona Special Olympics are two
recent examples.
Al Dickie, SRP Manager Property Management and
Services, became involved with the
Arizona Dragon Boat Association at
the request of a co-worker six years
ago. His organizational skills were
an instant boost to the Association - Al wrote the group's incorporation
papers, obtained IRS 501(c)(3) status,
drafted volunteers and served as the
group's vice president. He even
created a PERA Club Dragon Boat
team for SRP employees. Beyond
that, Al is a skilled "steersperson"
for two local teams, proving his
leadership abilities are as effective
on the water as they are in
the office.
Freddie Dobbins, Jr.
Boys and Girls Club of the East
Valley
The Boys and Girls Club of the East
Valley offers kids an opportunity to
develop self esteem, values and life
skills while having fun in a safe
environment. Since 1991, SRP
Manager Engineering and Planning
Freddie Dobbins, Jr., has worked to
support the club in a variety of ways,
first as a corporate board member,
and later as vice president of
programs, youth of the year
chairman, and vice president of
human resources.
As with many nonprofits,
an important function of a
board member is to raise funds - and here, Freddie excels, having
personally raised $2,000 to $8,000
each year for the club's programs.
During Freddie's time with the Boys
and Girls Club, the group has
doubled the number of clubs across
the East Valley, serving more than
10,000 kids a year. With
supporters and mentors like
Freddie, our children's future is
in good hands.
John F. Ganem
Andre House
At the Andre House soup kitchen, a
downtown Phoenix institution, the
disadvantaged find shelter and a hot
meal. John F. Ganem, SRP Sr.
Accounting Analyst, is one of a team
of volunteers making sure meals are
well-prepared, nutritious and on time.
As the lead cook on Thursday
evenings, John determines the menu
based on food donations, and
oversees preparation of more than
600 meals. John is currently
mentoring his tenth staff coordinator
at Andre House, and also serves on
the group's Board of Advisors. But
for the last nine years, the kitchen is
where John has truly left his mark,
ensuring that kitchen staff serves no
meal they wouldn't be happy to eat
themselves. In fact, John has served
items at dinner parties at home that
he created at Andre House!
For those seeking comfort and
fellowship at Andre House, John's
compassion and culinary skills are
equally appreciated.
Joni L. Gehr
Royal Palm Orangewood Little League
Nothing motivates kids like sports,
and the Royal Palm Orangewood
Little League is making sure
character, courage and loyalty are
taught right along with how to hit a
homerun. Joni L. Gehr, SRP
Customer Billing Specialist, has
worked with the group since 2005,
joining the board in 2006. Averaging 12 hours a month during
the off season and 40 hours during
the regular season, she serves as
Vice President of Sponsorship and
Fundraising, and chairs the League
Events Committee (not to mention
being mother to a star player,
herself).
Joni's fundraising oversight
saw the group raise more than
$17,000 for the 2008 season,
which enabled much needed field
improvements. Perhaps her greatest
achievement has been getting more
parents involved as volunteers - last
season drawing more than 70
percent participation. Joni's
organizational and fundraising skills
along with her emphasis on parental
involvement are helping the Little
League make athletics and character
building a family affair.
Sheryl L. Girard
Foundation for Burns and Trauma
The Foundation for Burns and
Trauma helps burn victims become
burn survivors. Since 2004, SRP
Senior Computer Analyst Sheryl L.
Girard has provided more than
2,000 volunteer hours serving the
needs of burn victims and their
families. At "Camp Courage" in
Prescott, Sheryl and her dog, Shiloh,
bring animal therapy to burn
survivors, ages 6 to 15 years. In
2007, she joined the Foundation's
Burns and Trauma Development
Committee to assist with fundraising
and increase volunteer membership.
Most recently, Sheryl has enlisted
SRP VOLUNTEERS to assist with the
remodel of Forever Courage House,
making this a welcome retreat for
burn victims and their families after a
long day of treatment.
Volunteers like Sheryl are essential for any nonprofit's
success. Her increasing roles
of responsibility and participation
with the organization, beyond her
work providing treatment, is of
increasing value to both the
foundation and the families of burn
victims across Arizona.
Linda S. Johnson
Arizona Retriever
Rescue
Each year, too many dogs are abandoned, mistreated, neglected or
left in shelters. Arizona Retriever
Rescue was created to provide
veterinary care, evaluation and
adoptive homes to Golden and Flat
Coated Retrievers throughout the
state.
For the past two years, SRP
Manager Lab and Field Services
Linda S. Johnson, has served on the
group's Trench Team, working
directly with dogs, adoptive families
and animal shelters. As Veterinary
Liaison, she established procedures
for obtaining veterinary care and
established contracts with care
providers, making costly medical
procedures affordable for the nonprofit.
As Shelter Coordinator, Linda's team-building skills have
helped create a network across the
state of volunteers who visit shelters
and seek out dogs meeting the
criteria for rescue. Linda feels her
work with Arizona Retriever Rescue
allows her to speak for those who
can't speak for themselves. They are
lucky to have so caring an advocate.
Helen J. Poole
Childhelp KEYS Community Center
Knowledge, Education, Youth and
Society (KEYS) are the foundation of
the Childhelp KEYS Community
Center in Phoenix's South Mountain
Village community. For the past two
years, SRP Supervisor Customer
Service Center Helen J. Poole has
volunteered her time with the KEYS
Center, currently serving as chair of
Neighbors That Care (NTC), a
neighborhood group that meets
monthly at the center. Helen plans
and runs Residential Leadership
Team meetings, gives presentations
regarding NTC at local events,
secures speakers and recruits
volunteers to work events such as
health fairs, backpack giveaways,
turkey giveaways, special classes
offered to local youth, and many
other volunteer-supported efforts.
For Helen, this is a labor of love.
Having grown up in South Mountain
Village, she knows that community
pride joined with neighbors helping
neighbors is an unstoppable force
for positive change.
Bill Smith
American Diabetes Association
The American Diabetes Association
(ADA) works to prevent and cure
diabetes, while improving the lives of
those affected by this disease. SRP
Senior Computer Analyst Bill Smith
has devoted his volunteer services
over the past ten years to supporting
the Association's mission. As a
fundraiser, Bill has collected nearly
$25,000 as both a bicycle rider and
then as a walker in ADA-sponsored
events.
Beyond his athletic efforts,
Bill has served as a mentor to ADA
staff, committee members and Walk
Team captains, making them better
recruiters and fundraisers. Leading
the SRP Pacesetters team in the ADA
Step Out Walk, Bill has recruited
883 walkers, raising nearly
$69,000 - an amount that can fund
diabetes research for nearly nine
months.
With the efforts of
motivated volunteers like Bill, the
ADA is closer each year to finding a
cure for this disease, which affects
23 million Americans.
Marty Sonnenberg
Angel Acres, Inc.
Providing disadvantaged and disabled
children an opportunity to forget their
worries and concerns, if only for a
while, is the mission of Angel Acres,
Inc., and its founder, director and
president, Marty Sonnenberg. Marty is
a Senior Credit Counselor with SRP and
began Angel Acres after her own
experience 14 years ago when she
discovered the emotional healing a
horse can provide.
The program allows
disadvantaged and disabled children
six weeks of grooming, riding, exercise,
self-esteem building and bonding with
horses Marty cares for. The children
also enjoy educational activities, art
exercises, goat petting, a photo album
and lunch. The results are more than
worth the effort - in the last five years,
206 children have received therapy,
which equates to more than 1,000
rides! More than "horse-time," children
walk away from Angel Acres with a
healing experience that will last a
lifetime. In their eyes, it's Marty who
is the angel.