April 17, 2009
Sierra NonProfit Services honored Front Porch, Inc., with the Community Excellence Award at their 7th annual awards luncheon. “This is the largest volunteer recognition event in Tuolumne County,” says Amy Falken of Sierra NonProfit Services. “Many organizations host events for their specific volunteers, but this is a gathering of people that come together across the board, serving many organizations, and are celebrating the love, work, and contribution of people in our county.”
Though given to Front Porch, the award is an acknowledgement of the commitment of the employees to ongoing, dedicated volunteer work.
Front Porch employees don’t track or get paid for their volunteer hours. But they find out about the volunteer opportunities in large part through work.
“Typically it’s just an email that goes out requesting volunteers,” says David Rogers, Database Administrator. Anybody may send an e-mail announcing an event their church, scout group, or other organization is sponsoring.
“People are quick to check their calendars and see if they can participate,” says Cryss BlackWolf, who spent more than seven years with Front Porch before accepting a position at Silver Spur Christian Camp.
ATCAA (Amador-Tuolumne Community Action Agency) nominated Front Porch for the Community Excellence Award, citing the company’s volunteer activities of adopting families at Christmas, and holding an internal competition among individuals and departments for a food drive. “But many businesses do that,” they said.
Then ATCAA laid down their trump card on the nomination form. “Recently they have gathered donations for the food bank at local stores,” they said. “And that is where they step beyond the commitment businesses typically give to volunteering. Front Porch gives their time and energy to better our community, and looks for ways to stretch beyond the token response to community need.”
BlackWolf was among those standing in front of a local grocery store one chilly Saturday morning with bins and fliers, requesting food for a program that feeds youth in the county. His shivering morning led not only to collecting literally more than a ton of food, but also opened the door for another opportunity: BlackWolf began volunteering as a mentor through the Mentoring Works program, a partner of ATCAA.
“Many, like myself, do these things out of gratitude,” says BlackWolf, “and out of a sense of responsibility and accountability to our community—something Front Porch has both encouraged and embodied in the spirit of its community activism.” |
