Volunteers honored in Jackson

If it were a sport, it would have been an all-star game.

But as volunteering isn't a sport or a game, some of the area's most dedicated individuals were showcased during a played-down sandwich luncheon in the basement of the University of Missouri extension building in Jackson.

The second annual Jackson Chamber of Commerce volunteer recognition luncheon indeed highlighted some of the best efforts of the year.

In all 16 people were recognized as volunteers of the year by their respective organizations. Two organizations (the senior center and the chamber of commerce) honored multiple individuals. Brett Nelson was the only multiple honoree for his service in the Rotary Club and the chamber.

Wide range of volunteers

Sharon Tuschhoff of 4-H, Rev. Dan Usher of the Jackson Ministerial Alliance, and Paul Nenninger of the Community Caring Council exemplified the wide range of people who were served by the 50 or so volunteers who attended the luncheon Thursday.

Every Wednesday, Tuschhoff works with children after school in a 4-H program at Oak Ridge. The children range in ages from kindergarten to seventh grade.

"We do lots of community service," Tuschoff said after the luncheon. "We painted the crosswalks and educated children on crosswalk safety."

They also conducted a canned-food drive and helped educate other students about homelessness and hunger.

Working at school

Unlike other 4-H programs that are conducted during evenings, Tuschhoff said all the work in this club is done at school.

"A lot of parents can't take their children; they may not have enough automobiles or enough jobs," she said. "A lot of kids we have in the club would not have had a chance to be in the traditional 4-H clubs."

Nenninger, however, serves people on the opposite side of life. He oversees a senior safety program through the Community Caring Council. Retired, Nenninger volunteered to operate the program when a local home improvement store donated $1,500 toward household safety items for seniors.

Nenninger said seniors can get items such as improved door locks, smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and shower bars.

He said the program helps about 40 families per year.

Usher, pastor at New McKendree United Methodist Church, oversees the crisis voucher program with the Jackson Ministerial Alliance.

He says he sees all types of people, some as young as 16 or 17. He said sometimes people need a gasoline voucher in order to take their children to the doctor. Sometimes the alliance helps individuals pay for doctor bills, medicine or hotel accommodations whenever a crisis situation occurs. During the 2003 tornado, for instance, the organization provided roughly $5,000 in emergency assistance.

"Then we invite them to be a part of a church family," he said. "I've worked with many, many ministerial alliances. And the Jackson ministerial alliance is the best I've ever worked with. It's one of the greatest communities, a giving community. You just ask and they give."

bmiller@semissourian.com

243-6635

---

Volunteers of the year

The following volunteers were recognized by their organizations as volunteers of the year at Thursday's luncheon sponsored by the Jackson Chamber of Commerce.

• Sharon Tuschhoff, 4-H
• Allen Phillips, American Red Cross
• Paul Nenninger, Community Caring Council
• Terri Tomlin, Girl Scouts of Otahki Council
• Jim Salzman, Brett Nelson and Heather Morgan, chamber of commerce
• Lester Maevers and Virgil Green, Jackson Senior Center
• Cathi Stoverink, Jackson Heritage Association
• Beth Pry, Jackson Jaycees
• Dan Usher, Jackson Ministerial Alliance
• Anita Sievers, Jackson Noon Optimists
• Brett Nelson, Jackson Rotary
• Donna Pensel, Riverside Regional Library
• Sam Roethemeyer, United Way of Southeast Missouri