Volunteer of the Month
Bruce Tehan, Chapter Chair
February 2012
This month we are honoring Dave Harrison. Among other things, Dave is our past Chapter Chairman, a High Summit Honors Society member and a past Volunteer of the Year awardee. Most people who have done so much for an organization might kick back and rest on their laurels for a while but not Dave. Dave is constantly stepping up to the plate to serve ADK. Here are a few positions Dave currently holds with the club:
- Saturday Hikes Coordinator.
- GVC-ADK Executive Committee member/Past Chair.
- Mailing Committee member.
- Outdoor Expo Committee member.
- Programs Committee member.
- Conservation Committee member.
- Secretary for ADK’s (headquarters) Executive Committee.
The list above is just a few of the ways Dave is currently serving ADK. Although I cannot list all the ways Dave is helping the club one more thing I must mention is that he is providing valuable advice to the current GVC-ADK chapter chair (me.) Please join me in saying “Thanks Dave!”
January 2012
This month we are saluting Jim Luening, Mary Norman and Eric Neely for a kids’ hike they facilitated last fall. The hike took place at Mendon Ponds Park and featured a nature bingo game. Each kid received a prize for completing their bingo card. Four families took part in this outing and everyone had a good time. Thanks to all kids and adults who participated in this fun event.
We are also saluting our mailing committee who always do an excellent job individually addressing our newsletter. Even on the rare occasion where the Geneseean is delivered late we can rest assured that it was brought to the Post Office on time thanks to the following people: Dave Beaulieu, Gary DeWitt, Susan DeWitt, Donna Dinse, Tom Dinse, Nancy Donny, John Eisenberg, Grace Fuller, Dave Harrison, Karen Hibbard, Pat Hopkins, Susie Kieren, Dora Schaible, Jackson Thomas, Shirley Thomas, Jim Weick, Nathan Yost, Pete Witte and Florence Witte.
December 2011
December’s
Volunteer of the Month is Becky
Olson. Becky has stepped up to lead many fun hikes.
Please join me in thanking Becky for her valuable contributions to
our club.
November 2011
The next time you see Waterways Chairman, Charlie Helman and Younger Member’s Waterways Liaison, Dave Schott please thank them for their outstanding volunteerism this past spring, summer, and fall. They and their many fine leaders had a very successful paddling season. They provided us with many local and away outings that were both well attended and well enjoyed. There were trips for novice paddlers and very experienced paddlers. Whether someone was interested in flora, fauna, exercise, or good conversation, it could be found on any of the Waterways outings. It was a great year for paddling facilitated and led by great volunteers. Thanks Charlie and Dave!
October 2011
The Younger Members have nabbed another Volunteer of the Month award. Will Soles, this month’s honoree is someone who deserves to win this award many times a year. Will is a very active member of our club and has led many outings for our younger members and for those who are young at heart. Please join me in thanking Will for his outstanding leadership and valuable service.
September 2011
This month’s honoree is Carter Thomas, the chair of our Younger Members Committee. Carter’s enthusiasm and innovative thinking is a great asset to our chapter. One has only to look at the many cool things the Younger Members have done these past two years to know that Carter is doing a great job. He has facilitated many younger member activities. He has recruited and mentored many excellent volunteers. He has found new ways to electronically promote the younger members and our chapter in general. Please join me in thanking Carter for helping to ensure GVC-ADK’s bright future.
Dave Harrison, Chapter Chair
June 2011
Hats off to Eric Boxer,
June's Volunteer of the Month! Eric is a member of the chapter’s
Younger Members group. Since joining ADK-GVC about a year ago, he has
taken a very active role in the life of the chapter. Currently, he
serves on, and is the Younger Members group’s liaison to, the
chapter’s conservation committee. In addition, he has stepped up
to a leadership role in a number of chapter outings. Recently, for
example, he co-led the chapter’s April 29-May 1 backpack/trail work
trip on Sucker Brook trail in the West Canada Lakes Wilderness of the
Adirondacks. Owing largely to his active recruiting efforts, the
majority of the participants in that trip were younger members. On
the trail, Eric demonstrated considerable knowledge and experience in
trail maintenance, and he was also very helpful to the other
participants. Looking ahead, he plans to co-lead a spring Younger
Members “bike-packing” trip around the Finger Lakes. So if you
see Eric, please congratulate him and thank him for stepping up to a
leadership role in Genesee Valley ADK. And by the way, be sure to ask
him for his recipe for “boxer bars.” He’ll know what you’re
referring to.
February 2011
No person better exemplifies the volunteer spirit that’s at the heart of our
chapter than Erv Tschanz, our March Volunteer of the Month. Erv is a highly
skilled outdoorsman, who has been sharing those skills with his fellow chapter
members for as long as I can remember. (One of my earliest memories of chapter
workshops is one which Erv ran almost fifteen years ago on outdoor cooking.)
During the past year, he presented a program at our trip leaders recognition
dinner on selecting a location for a land or water-based trip. This winter, he
repeated the highly successful course he that has been teaching for many years
on winter camping. That course involved both an indoor class and a field trip
where participants could apply in an outdoor setting what they learned in the
class. And at the February chapter meeting, Erv presented a workshop on food
dehydration and outdoor cooking. What is especially remarkable is that Erv has
been serving ADK-GVC with enthusiasm in so many ways for so many years. Please
join me in thanking him for all the knowledge that he has shared with us.
January 2011
For many ADK-GVC members, our Saturday and Sunday hikes are the highlight of
their week--a chance to enjoy the outdoors with friends and get some exercise
at the same time. These folks especially appreciate the efforts of Marty
Turner, this month's Volunteer of the Month. Marty led numerous Saturday
and Sunday hikes during the past year, and has become one of our chapter's most
frequent local hike leaders. A very thorough leader, Marty frequently scouts
out his hikes in advance to make sure of the route and of the time the hike
will take. He also demonstrates a high degree of competence on the trail,
making sure that the group stays together and that there just the right number
of breaks to allow participants to catch their breath and get hydrated. Please
join me in thanking Marty for his skill, his leadership qualities, and his
dedication to our chapter.
November 2010
It's always gratifying to see the next generation of hikers and paddlers
step up to the plate and take leadership roles in our chapter. One such
individual is Will Soles, this month's Volunteer of the Month. An active
participant in the chapter's Younger Members group, Will has taken part in
several chapter outings, and some of these are backpack trips that he has led.
I have backpacked with Will on more than one occasion, and have come to know
him as a skilled backpacker, a competent leader, and a pleasure to hike with.
With leaders like Will on board, Genesee Valley chapter's future looks very
bright. Nice going, Will!
October 2010
If you've ever dipped a paddle in the water on a GVC- ADK waterways trip,
chances are that you've met Charlie Helman, Genesee Valley ADK's
waterways committee chair. Charlie is one of our chapter's most active members.
In his capacity as waterways chair, he makes sure that our weekly paddles
always take place, and often leads those paddles, as well as more distant
waterways trips, himself. He has also organized paddles with the Younger
Members group, coordinating with local kayak and canoe vendors so that
participants can try out different types of watercraft. In addition, he has
also taught rescue techniques to novice kayakers. But that's not all. Charlie
regularly organizes volunteers for the "duck race" fundraiser in Fairport, and
leads chapter cleanups on local rivers. And, as anyone who has attended one of
ADK-GVC's Outdoor Expos, Charlie directs the waterways activities that are a
vital part of that annual event. In addition to these functions, he serves as
an active member of the chapter's executive committee, providing valuable input
on a range of issues going well beyond waterways activities. Charlie has been
making these kinds of contributions to our chapter for so many years that it's
easy to take him for granted. To help assure this doesn't happen, please join
me in giving a big thanks to Charlie Helman, our Volunteer of the Month.
May 2010
Volunteer of the Month. Sometimes it's the most obvious things that are
overlooked. One of those obvious things is our newsletter, the
Geneseean. For several months since taking over as Geneseean
editor, Grace Fuller has applied her considerable talent as a desktop
publisher to the production of the newsletter. Doing the layout work for a
monthly publication such as the Geneseean is a very time-consuming task.
It requires the editor to assemble articles submitted by many different people,
some of whom don't send in their submissions until very close to the deadline.
(Sorry about that, Grace.) The entire job has to be completed every month in
sufficient time to assure that the issue makes it to the printer in time to
have close to 2,000 copies ready to be labeled and mailed to chapter members on
schedule. (And by the way, if you don't receive your Geneseean on time,
trust us, it's the Post Office's fault, not Grace's.) Grace has been able to do
this without fail, while at the same time creating a very attractive and
readable publication. Not bad, considering that she had no experience with this
newsletter prior to assuming the editor's role last year. So it's with great
pleasure and much gratitude that I say, "Hats off to Grace Fuller," our
volunteer of the Month.
April 2010
February's highly successful Loj trip didn't happen
by itself. It was the result of a lot of hard work that was begun many months
ago by two volunteers, Shae Hanford and Sylvia Harrison. This was
their first time planning and coordinating this major chapter event. Their
predecessor, Judy Immesoete, retired from the job after several years of
organizing and coordinating the trip.
Following some initial training with Judy, Shae and
Sylvia went to work. Shae took charge of all of the reservations, including
keeping track of room assignment requests, collection of Loj fees,
correspondence with prospective participants, and numerous contacts with the
ADK Loj staff. Sylvia took charge of supplies, including refreshments, paper
goods, platters, and numerous other items that had to be brought to the Loj,
set out at the right time, and stored each evening. Shae and Sylvia's tasks not
only required a considerable amount of work on their part but also required a
lot of attention to detail. Both of them got the details right, and their
efforts paid off in a fun-filled trip for everyone who attended. Many thanks to
Shae and Sylvia, our Volunteers of the Month.
March 2010
One of my favorite ADK-GVC activities is the Sunday hike. These hikes are
great exercise, a great way of enjoying the outdoors, and a terrific way of
getting to know other chapter members. As a matter of fact, I often suggest to
new ADK members who want to become active in the chapter but don't know where
to start that they (a) come to the monthly chapter meetings and (b) come on the
Sunday (or Saturday) hikes.
But these weekend hikes don't happen by themselves. It takes a lot of time
and effort to schedule them, find trip leaders, and publicize the hikes on the
chapter hotline. Last fall, Larry Telle and Larry Reister
volunteered to take over the job of coordinating our Sunday hike program after
long-time Sunday hike coordinator Dick Spade retired from that role.
Since then, Larry and Larry have worked tirelessly to provide a full Sunday
hike schedule every weekend. They have led some of the hikes themselves, and
have recruited leaders for others. Some of the trips have been at local parks,
while others have been away hikes. Through the efforts of these two chapter
members, our Sunday hike program has continued to flourish. So here's a special
thanks to the two Larrys, our Volunteers of the Month, for their great
contribution to the life of the chapter.
February 2010
Few ADK-GVC members have done so much for Genesee Valley ADK as Bob
Krenzer, this month's Volunteer of the Month. Bob is serving his second
term as our chapter treasurer. However, his treasurer's duties represent only
one aspect of his work on behalf of ADK-GVC. Bob has led many chapter outings,
including Saturday and Sunday hikes, Younger Members hikes and bike rides, and
away camping trips. An Outdoor Expo volunteer, Bob also helped edit the new
edition of the GVC-ADK Leader Training Workshop Resource Guide.
Recently, he suggested and spearheaded a project to help highlight for our
members the ways in which the main club and the chapter use members' dues. (The
end product of that project can be seen in the poster that is on display at
Chapter meetings.) Bob's enthusiasm, his sound judgment as a member of the
chapter's executive committee, and his dedication to ADK-GVC have made him a
major asset to our club. It's a pleasure to recognize his many
contributions.
January 2010
This month, I'd like to recognize the volunteer efforts of one of our
chapter's most enthusiastic members, Tom Dinse. In addition to
participating in and leading chapter hikes, Tom recently volunteered to serve
as hospitality chair at our monthly chapter meetings. In addition, he has been
spearheading an upcoming chapter project (about which ADK-GVC members will be
hearing more in the coming months) to assist the Monroe County Parks Department
in refurbishing broken picnic benches at Mendon Ponds. An organization as
large as Genesee Valley ADK depends upon the willingness of its members to step
forward and volunteer their time and energy to make the club work. We are
fortunate to have someone like Tom, who has demonstrated that willingness.
November-December 2009
It's my pleasure as chair to revive a tradition that the chapter followed in
former years, namely, that of recognizing the special contribution that one (or
sometimes more than one) of our members has made to the life of the chapter in
recent months. This month's Volunteers of the Month are two people who have
played a major role in ADK-GVC's waterways program, Rebecca Ledwin and
Peg Jacobs. Rebecca is the founder of our highly successful Monday
morning "Daytrippers" paddle group. The group meets every Monday morning
(weather permitting) at a different location for about two hours of paddling.
Peg joined with Rebecca to lead the Monday morning paddles, and on those
Mondays when Rebecca wasn't able make it, Peg was there to lead the group.
Thank you, Rebecca and Peg, for taking the lead in establishing and running
these enjoyable Monday outings. You are part of what makes our chapter
work.
