FOUR EARN BELL AWARDS FOR SERVICE

Winners of the fourth annual Bell Volunteer Awards were honored at a luncheon Thursday for their efforts to make the community better.

The volunteer-recognition program is sponsored by Southwestern Bell Telephone Co., and the Cape Girardeau Area United Way.

Winners are named in four categories: 25-years-and-under, 26-to-29-years, 60-years-plus, and group.

Lance Cassoutt won the youth-young adult category. He is a student volunteer who has logged more than 1,800 hours as a food-service aide at St. Francis Medical Center.

The Rev. Louis Launhardt won the adult category. He has devoted 17 years to the Lutheran Family and Children's Service, and founded the agency's advisory board.

Bess Estes won the senior-adult category. In 1990 alone, she volunteered more than 1,000 hours to 24 organizations, including St. Francis Medical Center Auxiliary and Friends.

Zonta Club of Cape Girardeau was selected as winner of the group category. Comprised of 70 professional women, the club is involved in a variety of projects from tourism to fire safety.

The four Cape Girardeau winners will advance to a regional competition. Regional winners will be announced May 17 in St. Louis.

This year's local competition attracted the largest number of nominees ever, said Dorothy Klein, executive director of the United Way. She said 37 individuals and seven organizations were nominated.

Attendance at the luncheon also was the largest ever, with 215 people attending.

Craig Felzien, area manager for Southwestern Bell Telephone, said: "This community-wide awards program recognizes outstanding volunteers who serve Cape Girardeau with the continuing gift of time. Cape Girardeau joins nine other communities on the east side of the state participating in the Southwestern Bell Telephone Volunteer Award Program."

Guest speaker at the luncheon was David Martin, district manager of media relations for Southwestern Bell in St. Louis.

Martin said that hearing about the accomplishments of volunteers evokes a range of emotions.

He said: "I will feel a deep sense of humility when I hear of these individuals' accomplishments. But that will be tempered with a sense of pride in what these people have been able to do. Volunteers and their efforts make us feel good with their can-do attitude.

Martin predicted that if he took any of the winners to another community, and then returned in six months to check, they would be helping others.

"But what makes a volunteer say yes when other people say no?" he asked.

Martin set out his "Top 10" list of excuses for not volunteering: I already contribute money; I have no skills; the work is too depressing; I'm too old; I'm not really a people person; no one has really asked me; I'm only one person; I don't want to ignore the needs of my family; I don't have the energy; and I don't have the time.

Martin said: "When was the last time you saw a volunteer who seemed tired? They seem to have an endless supply of energy.

"And they always have time do the things they want to get done; they seem to be operating on a 28-hour day while the rest of us are working on a 24-hour day."

Martin said volunteers have learned that "giving of yourself helps surmount all those excuses.

"We are here to honor these volunteers," he said. "But they also challenge us to be better, to find within ourselves that inner spark so that maybe next time we will say yes."