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College Volunteers Honored with President’s Award
RALEIGH, N.C. (October 25, 2022) – Volunteer tutors at Wake Tech have been honored for their outstanding service. The President's Volunteer Service Award, the highest recognition for volunteers in the nation, was presented to the following volunteers at an awards ceremony at the college on October 25:
- Bruce Tria
- John Phipps
- Eloise Currie
- Sandra Thomas
- Valerie Gantzler
- Richard Songey
- Marcos Elliott
- Diane Miller
- John Hayes
- Genevieve (Geni) Fitzgerald
- Terry Sawyers
- Dan Fuccella
- Paula Childs
- Stephen Hodgkins
- Howard Ellis
- Mike Petersen
- Rick Fish
These dedicated individuals are part of Wake Adult Volunteer Educational Services (WAVES), a Wake Tech program through which volunteers tutor and support students to help them excel and achieve their goals. WAVES volunteers assist with basic skills, high school equivalency preparation, English as a Second Language, career exploration and more within Wake Tech's College & Career Readiness Division.
Collectively, the 17 volunteers honored with the President's Award donated 2,641 hours in the past year. The entire WAVES team of volunteers donated 3,528 hours, and these gifts of time have had had a tremendous impact on student success. With the going rate for tutors ranging from $25 to $80 an hour locally, the monetary value of their contribution could be calculated at more than $140,000. But the confidence and hope those one-on-one sessions have given students are truly priceless, allowing them to take more advanced classes, enroll in associate degree programs, find meaningful employment and realize their dreams.
Learn more about WAVES and volunteer opportunities.
