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Serve Indiana Honors Outstanding Hoosier Volunteers

Serve Indiana Honors Outstanding Hoosier Volunteers

Part 1

INDIANAPOLIS (Nov. 22, 2017) — The State of Indiana, through its volunteer service commission, Serve Indiana, selected eight outstanding Hoosiers and organizations to be recognized for service to the community. The Serve Indiana Awards for Excellence are Indiana’s most prestigious annual awards celebrating the accomplishments of dedicated volunteers and service members.

Nominations were submitted from around the state, and the winners were selected by a panel of Serve Indiana Commissioners, community volunteers and previous award winners. Winners were celebrated with an awards ceremony on Nov. 9, 2017, at the Indiana State House where more than 70 guests joined the celebration. The following local individuals and organization received a 2017 Serve Indiana Awards for Excellence award:

Faith-Based Volunteer Award Reova Meredith left the teaching profession in 1989 to found the Center for Women’s Ministries, Inc, a not-for-profit, faith-based, peer counseling organization serving any woman at no charge. Reova served as the full-time volunteer center director from 1989-97, and then moved into the executive director position as a full-time volunteer upon establishment of corporate headquarters in March 1997. She has seen development from one peer counseling center in Bloomington to up to 34 local centers established in eight states (15 in Indiana), and in six foreign countries on four continents; there are additional counties, states and countries organizing to open counseling centers. Thousands of clients and their families have benefited from improved emotional and spiritual health through Center for Women’s Ministries over the last nearly 30 years, fostered by Reova’s vision and faithfulness.

National Service Member Award Carlee LaRue graduated from Indiana University Bloomington in 2016 and spent a full AmeriCorps term serving with Healthy Schools Corps in Richland Bean Blossom Community Schools. During her term of service, Carlee has hosted wellness council meetings, ran the Junior High nutrition club, installed ten herb gardens in local school cafeterias, and has written and received multiple playground development grants. She also created a Heart Health Field Day for the Junior High and a Cardio Club for one of the local elementary schools. After her AmeriCorps term ended, Carlee began working as a Prevention Specialist for the Community Capacity for Prevention and Education grant project based out of Centerstone.

Volunteer Program Award Bloomington Meals on Wheels, founded in 1973, provides nutritious meals to homebound people who are unable to cook for themselves due to illness, injury or disability. More than 200 volunteer drivers deliver over 1,500 meals each month to our MOW clients. In partnership with IU Health Bloomington & Meadowood Retirement Center, our volunteers ensure that our clients receive two nutritious meals a day. Volunteers donate their time and their vehicle to deliver meals to those who would otherwise find it difficult to shop and cook for themselves. MOW also reduces healthcare costs by allowing our clients to remain in their homes. Bloomington Meals on Wheels could not exist without their dedicated volunteers that help keep the cost of our program affordable for our clients.

Part 2

INDIANAPOLIS (Nov. 22, 2017) — The State of Indiana, through its volunteer service commission, Serve Indiana, selected eight outstanding Hoosiers and organizations to be recognized for service to the community. The Serve Indiana Awards for Excellence are Indiana’s most prestigious annual awards celebrating the accomplishments of dedicated volunteers and service members.

Nominations were submitted from around the state, and the winners were selected by a panel of Serve Indiana Commissioners, community volunteers and previous award winners. Winners were celebrated with an awards ceremony on Nov. 9, 2017, at the Indiana State House where more than 70 guests joined the celebration. The following local company received a 2017 Serve Indiana Awards for Excellence award:

Corporate Volunteer Award Old National Bancorp, the holding company of Old National Bank has been recognized as a World’s Most Ethical Company by the Ethisphere Institute for six consecutive years. Old National has a long history of serving their communities. Since 2005, their employees have served more than half a million volunteer hours! "100 Men Who Cook" is their signature fundraising event, which relies heavily on the volunteer efforts of their employees – and the collaborative spirit of the communities they serve – for its great success, which has raised more than $4 million for charities within their footprint. The initial "100 Men Who Cook" was presented by Old National in Terre Haute, Ind., back in 2009. In total, Old National has hosted 48 of these events throughout the bank’s footprint, raising more than $4.4 million for 32 charities.

Part 3

INDIANAPOLIS (Nov. 22, 2017) — The State of Indiana, through its volunteer service commission, Serve Indiana, selected eight outstanding Hoosiers and organizations to be recognized for service to the community. The Serve Indiana Awards for Excellence are Indiana’s most prestigious annual awards celebrating the accomplishments of dedicated volunteers and service members.

Nominations were submitted from around the state, and the winners were selected by a panel of Serve Indiana Commissioners, community volunteers and previous award winners. Winners were celebrated with an awards ceremony on Nov. 9, 2017, at the Indiana State House where more than 70 guests joined the celebration. The following local individuals and organization received a 2017 Serve Indiana Awards for Excellence award:

Lifetime Achievement Award Trena Roudebush has engaged in volunteerism and service since an early age as a Girl Scout. Throughout her adult life, she's given her time and talents to youth- and family-focused causes including Coburn Place Safe Haven, Girl Scouts of Central Indiana, Kiwanis Club of Indianapolis and Kiwanis International, and Active 20-30 U.S. & Canada where she served as National President. Trena is passionate about enabling and empowering others to give back to the community through causes close to their hearts in ways they are able. She takes great pride in the connections she creates and fosters among individuals and organizations throughout Indiana and the country.

Exemplary Service Learning Award DJ Center for Youth, Inc. is a non-profit youth-serving organization with the mission to provide scholarships to high school students as well as offer programs in the arts while preparing youth to overcome challenging life choices. The vision of the organization is that through guidance, encouragement and post high school preparation, youth will be provided the opportunity to fulfill personal and professional growth. DJ Center for Youth, Inc. continues to offer and promote diverse opportunities and after school activities with a focus in arts and dance integrated with academics. Fully volunteer sustained, the Center prides itself on the concept of youth-adult mentorship and believes this idea starts at home; at any given time, you can find whole families participating in the programs and leadership positions. The core value of the Center is youth philanthropy. The selflessness displayed by its youth leaders as young as six illustrates time and again the true concept of servant leadership.

Volunteerism Award Alex Rowan is a graduate of Ball State University, with a background in chemistry and music. He began his volunteer journey with Peace Learning Center in 2015.  During his two years with this organization, Alex has facilitated Peace Education to over 1,500 students. He has participated in implicit bias, restorative practices and anti-racism trainings. He also plays a major role in event preparation and implementation. He was awarded Peace Learning Center’s Volunteer of the Year, and continues to be an outstanding support of their programs and services. Alex believes that service is important because it opens people’s hearts and minds to life experiences outside their own.

Youth Volunteer Service Award Joy Sera Bhattacharya is a first generation American. Encouraged by extracurricular activities such as Science Olympiad and Academic Decathlon, Joy nourished the intellectual interests that helped her become an active citizen in the community. Her creativity and passion for business lead her to Global Gifts, a fair trade store. There, Joy became compelled by Global Gifts’ mission: to pay impoverished and exploited global artisans fair prices for their works. Over the past year, Joy has completed over 200 hours of volunteer service at Global Gifts as well a summer internship there in which she was responsible for arranging store displays. Through her work at Global Gifts, Joy has learned the true meaning of the proverb, “If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together."