VILSECK, Germany — There are 460 of them among us here on-post and without them we are like a table missing a leg. They are busy at work. In just the last 12 months, they’ve logged 33 years’ worth of man hours. Over 240 on-post organizations currently use their services. And in the past year alone, the total dollar amount for their labor would equate to $1,359,157.52.

 

They are Grafenwoehr and Vilseck’s volunteers, and they are the lifeblood of our community.

 

On Thursday, April 28, they were recognized for their support and commitment at a ceremony here at the multipurpose center.

 

Organized by the garrison’s volunteer program manager, Foy Dix and the staff at Army Community Service, the event drew a large crowd of both volunteers and the beneficiaries of their services. Photos of the event are available on the USAG Bavaria Flickr page.

 

“Our community couldn’t do what it does,” Dix said to a boisterous, standing-room-only audience.

 

Grafenwoehr and Vilseck’s volunteers leave a lasting impact on the operability and success of the services and programs made available through the garrison and community, according to Dix. They shoulder many of the responsibilities borne out of such services and programs dealing with children, religious services and sports — to name but a few.

 

From March 1, 2015 to Feb. 29, 2016, Grafenwoehr and Vilseck’s 460 volunteers recorded 58,914 hours of service, said Kent Thompson, director of ACS.

 

“The criticality of volunteers gets magnified during times of downsizing because there are things we as a garrison just can’t accomplish. Volunteers stand up and fill those gaps,” said Garrison Commander, Col. Mark Colbrook.

 

And that’s no understatement. In the past two years, all volunteers at USAG Bavaria — to include installations at Grafenwoehr, Vilseck, Hohenfels and Garmisch — have logged more than 231,000 hours. Equate that to a monetary value and it comes out to over half a billion dollars saved.

 

“For as long as we’ve had the U.S. Army, we’ve had volunteers,” Colbrook said. “This continues a long lineage to support and serve ourselves and the U.S. mission.”

 

The Army Volunteer Corps, managed by Army Community Service, is a program which people use to find volunteer opportunities, log service hours and receive support and guidance. If you would like to volunteer, visit our article “5 steps to become a volunteer at USAG Bavaria.”

 

Volunteer of the Year Winners
Category	Winner	Nominating Organization
Active Duty Military Member	SSG Bobby Crane	JMTC
Family Member	Wendy Trackey	Army Community Service
Host Nation	Linda Johnson	USO
Retiree / DoD Civilian	James Joyce	Grafenwoehr Kontact Club
Youth	Gabrielle Hintz	BCSC

 

 

1,000 Plus Volunteer Hours
Lorenna Browning	Michiyo Hannaford	Wendy Trackey
Rebecca Cameron	Sophie Jones	Christy Whitaker

 

 

700 Plus Volunteer Hours
Helen Cole	Jaquan Portee	Camelia Streff
Jennifer Colon	Tara Priddis	Angelita Williams
SSG Bobby Crane	Priscilla Rey	Marcie Williams
Jennifer Mc Whorter	Linda Scheuermann

 

 

250 Plus Volunteer Hours
Rachel Banker	Sarah Hooper	Melissa Robinson
Shaylee Borscani	Ferron Johnson	Sonja Sawyer
Tatjana Brady	Linda Johnson	Dominique Schnell
Megan Braholli	Misrah Johnson	Kreg Schnell
Lorelai Browning	Traci Kaintz	Megan Scribner
Jeramie Bryan	Robert Klampe	Alexis Shilley
Anthony Bucciarelli	Jessica Leiva- Schulte	Almitha Stacy
Christopher Colbert	Sharla Manner	Elisabeth Stone
Emily Daly	Viviana Mauricio	Elizabeth Thometz
Meagan Elam	Gambrielle Montgomery – Seaton	Elisabeth Webber
Mary Forrest	Marina Nunez	Laurel Whippie
Ava Gourley	Lyndsay Owens	Whitney Wilding
Loukeya Hensley	Jennifer Pasquale	Richard Wiebe
Ashley Hilbert	Jaclyn Pennoyer
Cheryl Hintz	Sarah Rigdon

 

 

 

 

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