Volunteer Hours Valued at $24 Million

(Santa Ana, CA) - Wednesday morning the Board of Supervisors will honor volunteers at the eighth annual Countywide volunteer recognition ceremony. More than 26,000 volunteers donated 942,097 hours of service valued at approximately $24 million in avoided costs for County government in 2003.

This year’s honorees will be recognized at 8:30 a.m. following a 7:15 a.m. reception. The ceremony will be held in the Board hearing room on the first floor of the Hall of Administration (HOA), 10 Civic Center Plaza in Santa Ana. Certificates will be presented during the awards ceremony and photo opportunities will immediately follow the event.

The honorees include two volunteer groups and 52 individuals. Volunteers range in age from 13 to 82 and encompass students, people in mid-career, stay-at-home parents and retirees. Each makes a valuable and distinct contribution to the County.

Eighty-two-year-old, Mollie Burke, of Dana Point, has dedicated 20 years and countless hours to San Juan Capistrano Regional Library. Burke started volunteering at the library when it first opened. She took the initiative to organize a guided tour program as a way of providing visitors with a more in-depth understanding of the library’s history and architecture. Twenty years later, the tours are still an important part of the San Juan Capistrano Architectural Walk, and proceeds are donated to the Friends of the Library to support library services and programs. As a tribute to her dedication and many years of service, the bookstore has been renamed the "Mollie Burke Bookstore."

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Since 1996, Sister Rose Marie Redding of Orange has dedicated her time to the mission of the Catholic Detention Ministry. Sister Rose Marie has volunteered more than 3,640 hours and made 8,570 contacts with incarcerated individuals. She visits minors in all of the juvenile facilities throughout Orange County. Each week, she counsels and provides spiritual guidance to the youth and tries to encourage good choices to build more secure future.

Reserve Investigator George Tuttle of Anaheim has served as a level one reserve Deputy with the Sheriff’s Department for 26 years. For many of those years, he volunteered with the Reserves while he was still employed with Rockwell International as Vice President of Navigation and Control. After retiring from Rockwell, he devoted more time to the Sheriff’s Department and currently spends 40 or more hours each week in his assignment. Tuttle personally made the County’s first arrests of sex offenders who failed to meet the requirements of Megan’s Law.

"Our valued volunteers have many different backgrounds, interests, careers and reasons for volunteering," said CEO James Ruth. "Because of this diversity, they bring an array of experience and expertise to their roles and enhance our existing services and programs. I commend them all for their generosity and dedication."

More information on the County’s volunteer recognition ceremony, directions to the HOA and parking instructions are available online at
http://www.oc.ca.gov/volunteers/volunteers_page2.html. You can access County agencies and departments online at www.oc.ca.gov.

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