Grand Forks Airmen donate 12,000-plus volunteer hours, earn presidential award

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Christine N. Collier
  • 319th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
GRAND FORKS AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. (AFNS) --  Grand Forks Air Force Base Airmen recently received the Gold-Level Presidential Volunteer Service Award for Airmen who donated more than 12,000 hours of time to volunteer activities both on base and in the local community during 2009.

The Presidential Volunteer Service Award program was established in 2003 by the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation to recognize the valuable contributions volunteers are making in communities and encourage more people to serve, according to the Presidential Service Award Web site.

The gold-level award requires that a family or group complete at least 1,000 hours of volunteer activities in a 12-month period, a requirement which Grand Forks AFB Airmen surpassed.

The Airmen volunteered for more than 20 events and organizations during the past 12 months, including the Humane Society, the Salvation Army, the Grand Forks Special Olympics and Red River Flood Relief. In addition, Airmen spent numerous hours volunteering for Airmen Against Drunk Driving, a program which guarantees participants a safe ride home to eliminate the dangers of driving while intoxicated.

"The Airmen on this base have never ignored an opportunity or left anyone without the help that they need," said Senior Airman Eric Hurtado, the 319th Contracting Squadron and Airman's Activity Council president. "Regardless of the day or the time, Airmen of all ranks from across the wing have constantly shown up ready to serve without hesitation. It is no surprise to me to find that Grand Forks was honored with this award, and I would bet that the real count is higher than 12,000 hours."

To date, the President's Council has partnered with more than 80 leadership organizations and more than 28,000 certifying organizations to bestow more than 1.5 million awards to the nation's deserving volunteers, according to the Council's Web site.

"We are extremely proud to accept this award on behalf of the Warriors of the North," said Col. John Quinn, the 319th Air Refueling Wing vice-commander. "It is a tangible representation of the unrivaled commitment and selfless dedication our Airmen have to not only improving the quality of life for their peers, but also for the local community."