Seventeen volunteers or volunteer groups were honored on Sunday for their hard work and dedication to the Rescue Mission of Roanoke. Once a year the Rescue Mission holds a ceremony honoring its “volunteers of the year” and this year highlights a volunteer from most of the divisions at the Mission.
Volunteer Coordinator Leslie Littlefield said, “Volunteers are a crucial component to running the ministries of the Rescue Mission. There were over 112,000 volunteer hours in 2012, an equivalent of 56 full-time employees, representing over 5,000 individuals. In many departments, volunteers far outnumber the paid staff. Volunteers serve in various ways including serving & preparing meals; processing donated items; providing medical, dental, vision and psychiatric care; transporting patients to medical appointments; leading chapel services; leading weekly summer day camps for shelter children; stuffing Christmas cards; mulching our grounds; and many, many other activities.”
Assistant Volunteer Coordinator Stacy Boris added, “The Mission would not be what it is today if not for the love and compassion that each volunteer brings as they walk through the doors and share themselves unselfishly with our guests.”
