Local non-profit Junior Achievement of West Kentucky has a mission to give young people the knowledge and skills they need to own their economic success, plan for their future, and make smart academic and economic choices.
With Daviess County being served out of the West Kentucky – Ohio Valley Region, JA of West Kentucky, Inc. recognized 20 companies and individuals with a strong commitment to volunteering to JA.
The President’s Volunteer Service Award was founded in 2003 by the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation. It was a way to honor individuals whose service impacts communities in every corner of the nation and inspires those around them to take action.
“These awards go back over a decade. Junior Achievement has been proud to be a certifying organization for the White House for these awards since the 2006-2007 school year. It’s an opportunity for organizations like JA to give some presidential and national recognition to both individuals and companies for sustained large hours of volunteering to our mission,” said Dan Douglas, President, Junior Achievement of West Kentucky. “This year we awarded 20 different presidential recognition to individuals and groups. Being a regional organization, we did have some in our outlying counties but most are here in our community.
Companies receiving recognition provided a minimum of 200 community service hours for the certifying organization within the fiscal year and individuals receiving recognition had to meet a minimum of 100 volunteer hours for the organization.
“For an organization like JA who used 565 volunteers to achieve our mission this last year, this is a great opportunity to recognize those individuals that give of themselves to be those classroom mentors,” Douglas said. “With over 20,000 students served annually, about half of those students are here in the three school systems in Daviess County so we’re serving over 10,000 students annually just here in this community alone.”
This year Junior Achievement of West Kentucky had 20 companies/organizations/schools/individuals receiving the award for their commitment to JA during the most recent 2018-2019 school year and were recognized at recent board meetings for both Owensboro Public Schools and Daviess County Public Schools.
Individuals in the Owensboro area recognized with the President’s Volunteer Service Award included:
Bronze Award – 100-249 hours in a year
Steve Dixon
Don Kelley
Mark Dohrenwend – Southern Star Gas Pipeline
Audrey Lillpop – Farmers Bank and Trust
Silver Award – 250-499 hours in a year
Angie Padgett – UK Extension Office
Companies in the Owensboro area recognized with the President’s Volunteer Service Award includes:
Bronze Award – 200 or more hours in a year
Independence Bank
Boardwalk Pipeline Partners
Brescia University
German American Bank
Owensboro High School Bluegrass Scholars
Silver Award – 500 or more hours in a year
Southern Star Central Gas Pipeline
Gold Award – 1000 or more hours in a year
U.S. Bank & U.S. Bank Home Mortgage
One board member of the non-profit, Becky Shelton, whose employer, German American Bank received a President’s Volunteer Service Award, has been a volunteer for 14 years in Owensboro.
“I have a true passion for helping kids and helping them learn about business and inspire them to learn the skills,” said Becky Shelton, Branch Manager at German American Bank. “I primarily teach elementary school age so it’s the basics of business; what is a business, what is an entrepreneur, what skills are needed from marketing to budgeting to raising capital. We also teach interview skills at that level which I think is fun. In the interview session, they learn how to shake a hand, how to present themselves in a professional manner, and teaching them how to make that first impression.”
Many of the employers involved in the program encourage their staff to get involved in local non-profits as a way of giving back.
“German American, because we are a community-focused bank, we want all of our team members to be involved in helping the whole community prosper. We really do encourage all of our team to find what they are passionate about in the community and pursue that,” commented Shelton. “JA is important for our community because it exposes our youth to business leaders in our community. The volunteers are all local businessmen and women who want to share real-life experiences and help our youth be prepared for their future.”
Junior Achievement is always seeking additional volunteers to fulfill their mission.
“We’re definitely a volunteer-driven organization,” shared Douglas. “The awards are just a wonderful way to recognize our volunteers and it’s pretty cool to get a letter from the President of the United States.”
