Garrison chief of staff Lt. Col. Greg Scrivens, far left, and USAG Bavaria Command Sgt. Maj. Michael Sutterfield, far right, pose with this year’s volunteers of the year. From left: Anni Zeitler (local national category), Jim Federline (civilian/retiree category), Jennifer Nash (family member category, Spc. Caleb Dickerson (active duty category) and Kendall Thompson (youth category).
VILSECK, Germany — There are 447 service members, family members, local nationals, youth, civilians and retirees who — from March 2017 to February 2018 — logged over 43 years’ worth of man-hours. Over 250 on-post organizations currently use their services. And in the past year alone, the total dollar amount for their labor would equate to $2,163,378.52.
They are Grafenwoehr and Vilseck’s volunteers, and they are the lifeblood of our community.
On Wednesday, April 18, they were recognized for their support and commitment at a ceremony here at the multipurpose center.
Organized by the garrison’s volunteer program manager, Porché Leonard 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.
“The strength of the Army lies in its Soldiers,” said Lt. Col. Greg Scrivens, garrison chief of staff, in opening remarks. “And the strength of Army communities lies in the talents and contributions of its members,” he said referring to the crowded room of volunteers.
Grafenwoehr and Vilseck’s volunteers come from all different corners of the USAG Bavaria community representing many organizations, Scrivens said.
“And you are all doing fantastic work for our Soldiers and families. And that is why we are here today. We are here, as a garrison, as a complete community, to say, ‘thank you for all you do.’”
Grafenwoehr and Vilseck’s 447 volunteers recorded 89,618 hours of service totaling 11,202 days of work.
Agencies from around the garrison submitted “Volunteer of the Year” packages at the beginning of the year. A selection panel convened in March to select winners in five categories: Active Duty, Civilian/Retiree, Local National, Family Member and Youth.
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
Active Duty — Specialist Caleb Dickerson, 18th Military Police Brigade (Nominated by the Grafenwoehr United Services Organization)
Civilian / Retiree — James “Jim” Federline (Nominated by Religious Support Operations)
Family Member — Jennifer Nash (Nominated by 615th Military Police Company Family Readiness Group)
Local National — Anni Zeitler (Nominated by the German-American Kontact Club)
Youth — Kendall Thompson (Nominated by the Grafenwoehr Performing Arts Center)
Volunteers with over 1,000 Hours
Tatjana Brady
Lorelai Browning
Lorenna Browning
Tirsa Eastman
Kim-Nathalie Estrada Angeles
Christina Fountain
Carol Futhey
Kellie Matack
Jennifer Nash
Crystal White
Meri Young
Volunteers with over 700 Hours
Priscila Campa
Jeannette Garduno
Emiliano Gomez
Rhiannon Hymel
Kristin Jolin
James Joyce
Anna Keanaaina
Richard Pierce
Natalia Rodriguez
Margaret Sullivan
Allison Wootton
Manuela Zeller-Meyer
Sara Ziegler
Volunteers with over 500 Hours
Bobby Benn
Anna Berry
Dwayne Colman
Brian Derr
Caleb Dickerson
Michael Garst
Michiyo Hannaford
Jennifer Herbek
Birgit Joyce
Marilyn Kane-Pierce
Juanita McLellan
Robert Nava
Heather Nelson
Rachel Nightingale
DeLane Pearson
George Quick
Suzanne Robinson
Anna Sauvao
Kurt Spohr
Christy Whitaker
Volunteers with over 250 Hours
Kimberly Anderson
Anita Bailey
Lottie Banks
Cynthia Berthiaume
David Breeden
Alexis Brewer
Angela Bright
Brody Bright
Anni Brunner
Walter Brunner
Leeann Butcher
Tania Campos
Donald Cannon
Christine Dawson
Norbert Fiedler
Norbert Flessa
Brian Flick
Elaine Freeth
Michele Freiberg
Marko Friedrichs
Mary Gauvin
Kyle Gipson
Lothar Gogolka
Florlinda Gomez
Charles Hall
Darion Heenan
Ben Henderson
Taylor Hughey
Sonya Kelly
Josef Klimowitsch
Kaitlin Knauer
Monika Kneidl
Richard Kneidl
Amanda Knight
Danielle L’Heureux
Roman Latka
Sandy Le
Francis Lee
Helga Lettau
Brietta Lowman
Kim Meisel
Randie Michael
Nayjillia Morales
Jasmin Morrow
Amy Niedermayer
Anna Olson
Robert Olson
Petra Oney
Tauaveave “Chelle” Onosa’i
Courtney Parmer
Jessica Payne
Devon Pleus
Elizabeth Podojil
Nicholas Pollacia
Guenter Rammelmeier
Karen Rhodes
Timothy Salkil
Angela Schmick
Monika Schoen
Werner Schoen
Braulio Silva
Amelia Sison
Kendall Thompson
Victoria Thompson
Stormie Tippit
Neptali Vessichelli
Rainer Waldmann
Benjamin Weber
Harald Weber
Anni Zeitler