City honors volunteers with annual ceremony

Bloomington honored its volunteers Tuesday night at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater with the annual Be More awards.

The community nominated more than 100 volunteers in nine different categories. After introductions, a slide show was presented, showing the projects in which Bloomington residents have taken part during the past year. Among these were outreach efforts for inmates and projects to work with young children.

Sheri Woodbury, president of the Community Foundation of Bloomington and Monroe County, presented the Be More Collaborative Award to Hand in Hand, a program that started in 2004 and helps Bloomington’s poor.

Hand in Hand operates neighborhood pickups that deliver to the community kitchen and collected about 10,000 food items in the past year, 16 percent of the community kitchen’s food donations.

Next, Dean of Students Dick McKaig presented the Be More Involved Award to the Kelley School of Business Civic Leadership Development members. The members are IU students who work with Big Brothers Big Sisters in Bloomington, raising more than $15,000 in 2009 alone.

“Dick is retiring after 174 years of service,” Barry Lessow, director of Bloomington’s United Way, said, joking.

Phil Meyer, station manager of WTIU, presented the Be More Phenomenal Award to Dr. Eric Bannec of Volunteers in Medicine, which has served 273,000 patient visits in 11,000 volunteer clinical hours providing medical services to the community, helping “bridge the gap” where Medicare falls short, Meyer said.

“About two years ago, I was approached by a group of very dedicated people to become involved,” he said. “Over the last several years, this has developed. We’ve done a great deal of good for the community, and again, I’m very humbled by the experience.”

The local American Cancer Society’s Arletha Dabney was next, earning the Be More Knowledgeable Award, presented by Pete Giordano, director of Bloomington’s Community and Family Resources Development.

Katie Sullivan, host of WTIU’s The Friday Zone presented Bella Caruso with the Be More Energized Award for developing Kids Fighting Cancer at Templeton Elementary School. The fundraising proceeds of Kids Fighting Cancer go to Camp Kesem, a camp run by IU undergraduate students for children whose relatives have cancer. Caruso, age 6, said she wants to have Kids Fighting Cancer in every school across the country.

Judge Viola Taliaferro awarded the Be More Sustainable award to Cathi Eagan, the founder of CANine Express. CANine Express transfers adoptable dogs from shelters in Indiana to shelters in the New England region at a rate of about 1,000 every year.
“We’re honoring outstanding members of the community who have been contributing and giving,” sophomore and volunteer Sarah Pennal said.

Lessow went on to present an award to senior Michelle Davenport, who put in more than 200 hours working with Stone Belt Inc., an organization that provides volunteer employment for developmentally challenged members of the community.

“One of the girls from my hometown won Miss America,” Davenport said. “This is so much better than Miss America.”