Three Valley volunteers honored by First Lady

Alaskans are known for pitching in when help is needed, whether during natural disasters, basic day-to-day care for the needy and infirm or making sure children have the best start in life possible.

This past week, First Lady Sandy Parnell announced the recipients of the First Lady’s Volunteers of the Year Awards at a luncheon in Juneau. One business and 12 individuals were honored. Three of the people are from the Valley.

The First Lady’s Volunteers of the Year Awards go to residents who show remarkable personal commitment to long-term volunteer service, and because of that they have helped make a difference in their community or the state.

The 2010 Volunteers of the Year recipients from the Valley are:

• Alexis Dodge, a former AmeriCorps volunteer, who was cited for being a longtime volunteer in Big Lake. She is a volunteer firefighter with the Houston Fire Department, serves with the Court Appointed Child Advocate program for children in troubled homes and has volunteered more than 1,000 hours at Big Lake Elementary School.

• David Eastman, of Wasilla, is a veteran and volunteers with military affairs. He currently is serving in the Army Reserves. He helps with civic, youth, medical, recreational and faith-based organizations. Like Dodge, he is a CASA volunteer and is a youth group leader in his church in Eagle River. Eastman is also an EMT and serves on many community programs.

• Mari Jo Parks was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award. She’s the founder and organizer of the annual Special Santa Program that distributes gifts and school supplies to children during the Christmas season. It’s estimated that in 13 years, she has helped make sure 15,000 children received gifts. She is also on boards of the Alaska State Fair, United Way, Governor’s Council on Disabilities and Special Education.

These folks epitomize volunteerism, but there are many other people here who dedicate themselves to organizations to make life a little better in the Valley.

An example took place Friday and Saturday with the annual Relay for Life, which brings attention to the fight against cancer, benefitting the American Cancer Society. The relay events started at 7 p.m. Friday and continued overnight and into the morning. Dozens of volunteers were needed to pull it off and have been for years.

Similar events take place it seems like nearly weekly and they all require unpaid help. So if you know someone who helps out in the community, give him or her a big “thank you” for all of us.