Appreciative crowd honors Shawano County volunteers

Shawano County’s volunteer spirit took a turn in the spotlight Tuesday at the 2017 Celebration of Giving Awards presented by the Shawano Area Community Foundation.

About 150 people assembled inside The Gathering banquet hall in Shawano for the foundation’s eighth annual awards banquet honoring some of the community’s biggest volunteers.

The festive occasion was filled with appreciation for the award recipients and with testimonials to the power of volunteerism to make Shawano County a better place.

Todd Raether, board chairman for the foundation, listed many of the nonprofit organizations that have received financial support from his organization over the years, and said he was proud to have assisted forward-thinking leaders who are making improvements for the Shawano area.

“We’re just so fortunate in this town,” Raether said. “It’s the people who live here — who love this place — who give back to the community.”

The Celebration of Giving award recipients this year were recognized for their efforts to advance the causes of 4-H youth groups, a farmers market, public health, community service and youth activism, among others.

Each honoree received a $1,000 cash prize to donate to a nonprofit community organization of their choice.

Mary Lou Kugel, recipient of the Bill Mielke Volunteer Educator Award for her work with 4-H groups, told the audience that she learned early in life the importance of 4-H for kids growing up in Shawano County. Kugel said she now leads 4-H groups to help kids assert themselves and understand the value of hard work.

“My hope for our youth is that they will find peace and purpose in being themselves,” she said.

Len Pubanz, honored with the Shawano County Community Service Award, said that while he appreciated the recognition, he said the biggest payoff for him in volunteering is the memories that he takes with him — and the gratitude that he sees in those he helps along the way.

“I get paid for volunteering,” he said. “Not in dollars, but in things that are beyond measure.”

Here is a complete list of all of Tuesday’s award recipients and their $1,000 donations:

• Shawano Community Service Award: Len Pubanz was honored for activism and volunteerism that has included supporting the Miles of Art festival, the Shawano Farmers Market and Little Free Library. Pubanz also used his cabinet-making skills to help build the “barn quilt capital” greeting on Shawano’s south side. He is donating his $1,000 award to the Shawano Farmers Market.

• Health Care Volunteer Award: Ed Grys was honored for his work with the Shawano-Menominee Community Health Action Team, a group that works to understand social issues that impact public health. The group has taken on alcohol abuse and other drug abuse, as well as related health issues for both adults and children. Grys is donating his $1,000 award to the Kids Klub at First Presbyterian Church.

• Youth Volunteer Award: Emma Schmidt was honored for her many volunteer activities at Hope Community Church, the Shawano Area Food Pantry and Resource Center and Junior Achievement of Wisconsin. As a student at Shawano Community High School, she also has been active in the National Honor Society, the Tri-M Music Honor Society and other outlets. Schmidt is donating her $1,000 award to the children’s ministries at Hope Community Church.

• Bill Mielke Volunteer Educator Award: Mary Lou Kugel was honored for her years of service to 4-H through the Waukechon Wildcats club and other related efforts. She also has given her time to Alice in Dairyland programs in Shawano County, to Brunch on the Farm, Navarino Nature Center and Shawano Community High School’s music program. Kugel is donating her $1,000 aware to the Shawano County Fair for its 4-H Youth Building renovation.

• Robert D. Nueske Wittenberg Community Service Award: Laura Magee was honored for her work as organizer of Grapple on the Gridiron, a wrestling event held annually at Wittenberg-Birnamwood High School football field. The event, which raises money for charities, last year attracted more than 400 competitors and about 2,500 spectators. Magee is donating her $1,000 award to Grapple on the Gridiron.

The Shawano Area Community Foundation holds 77 charitable funds with about $7.5 million in assets. The foundation’s mission is to preserve and improve the quality of life in the community, including serving those in need.

Since the Celebration of Giving began eight years ago, volunteers have been honored with about $50,000 awarded on their behalf to area nonprofit agencies.