RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS: VOLUNTEERS DONATE YEARS GO GIRL SCOUTS

Donna and Ted Ballman of Perryville, Mo., have donated years to the Girl Scouts when they could have entered retirement and found other hobbies.

But the Ballmans believe in what the Girl Scouts are doing, and have worked to make sure that troops are available in Perry County. Donna Ballman serves as the service unit manager in the county while Ted serves on the group's board and helps with some maintenance projects at the Otahki Council properties.

"I like the people and the program and what it stands for," Donna Ballman said. She first got started in scouts when her daughter joined a troop. Ballman served as the leader.

Although the Perry County troops aren't large, they are growing and leaders can follow the girls' developments while helping instill the values they learn at home. "It helps make them stronger," Ballman said.

The Ballmans recently were honored as outstanding volunteers by the Area Wide United Way.

Donna Ballman has been instrumental in keeping Girl Scouts available in Perryville, said Denise Stewart of the Girl Scouts Otahki Council. "To estimate the number of hours that Donna volunteers in the course of a year and over a 25-year span would be impossible," Stewart wrote in her nomination letter.

Ballman exhibits the "true spirit of volunteerism" and quietly makes things great. She volunteers without any personal agendas, but has a belief in God, her family and her community and tries to make things better for everyone, Stewart said.