April 24 was Volunteer Appreciation Day at Keystone Community Services. We gathered together and celebrated with a luncheon and awards presentation to recognize the incredible things that volunteers make possible at Keystone. In 2017, more than 2,700 people gave time volunteering with Keystone and our volunteers contributed more than 34,000 hours supporting our neighbors.
Thank you to the sponsors who made our Volunteer Appreciation Day possible!
- Regions Hospital
- St. Paul Midway Lions
- TopLine Federal Credit Union
- Seven Corners Print and Promo
- BankCherokee
Above and Beyond Volunteer Awards
On Volunteer Appreciation Day, we also presented three Above and Beyond Volunteer Awards. The award recipients were Kaposia Participant Volunteers, Sue Sweet, and Jeff Disch. These volunteers have gone above and beyond in their volunteer service at Keystone. We invite you to read more about these amazing volunteer award recipients.
Kaposia Participant Volunteers – Above and Beyond Volunteer Award Recipient for the Keystone Senior Services Team
Kaposia has been a vital part of the Meals on Wheels volunteer system for many, many years. Their team shows up rain or shine, 3 or 4 days every week, and they always deliver meals with a smile and friendly “hello”. They also come in and help with other tasks like keeping the Meals on Wheels coolers and bags clean and sanitized. Kaposia has contributed over 1,450 volunteer hours with Keystone! But beyond that incredible contribution, the volunteers from Kaposia are always ready and eager to lend a hand, share a smile or try a new task to help. We are so lucky that their community helps support our whole Meals on Wheels community!
Sue Sweet – Above and Beyond Volunteer Award Winner for the Keystone Basic Needs Team
Sue has volunteered at Keystone’s food shelves since 2015 and has given over 1,000 hours of her time. Sue splits her volunteer time every week between the Roseville and Rice Street food shelves. And she’s taken the extra step to volunteering on the Foodmobile as well! She is very patient with the shoppers, helping them find their favorite products and even takes time to teach people about unfamiliar food items. Sue is proactive and is always looking for ways to improve services. Keystone staff appreciate that Sue doesn’t mind getting dirty and working hard. But most of all everyone in the Basic Needs team appreciates how friendly and warm Sue is because she puts everyone at ease.
Jeff Disch – Above and Beyond Volunteer Award Winner for the Keystone Youth Services Team
Jeff is one of the few volunteers in the Teen Tutor Program and we can’t imagine the program without him. Jeff has volunteered with the Teen Tutor program (formerly Hmong Youth Program) since 2014. He has dedicated every Tuesday night to helping the kids read and do their homework one-on-one or in small groups. The kids love working with Jeff because they know he is positive, good humored, and he cares about them. When Jeff enters the room each Tuesday, he is met with smiles and energetic greetings from youth participants and teen tutors. Jeff epitomizes what any youth program wants in an adult volunteer — steady, upbeat, and focused on supporting staff to meet program goals and youth needs. Not only do our youngest students all love Jeff but he has also had a huge impact on the teen tutors. He’s a listening ear when needed, a voice of wisdom when asked and someone we appreciate dearly. Jeff has been such a great support to this program and we cannot express enough how much we value having him in our Teen Tutor community.
