April 25, 2001
2001 Middlebury College Public
Service Leadership Awards
Alma Gibbs Donchian Literacy Award
also bestowed at Middlebury College’s annual service award
dinner.
MIDDLEBURY, Vt.More than 40
Middlebury College students received citations of commendation for
volunteer work in the Addison County community at the Colleges
annual Public Service Leadership Award dinner held on Tuesday, April
24. Of the students who received the certificates of merit, six
received the 2001 Public Service Leadership Award. Another student
received the Alma Gibbs Donchian Literacy Award.
The seven award-winning students will
each choose a nonprofit organization to receive a $300 donation, made
by the College on each students behalf. Donations on behalf of
the students will amount to a total of $2,100.
It is estimated that more than half
of the Colleges students have been engaged in community service
projects or service-related initiatives this year. More than 500
students are involved in ongoing projects, providing a minimum of two
hours per week for dozens of agencies and individuals, amounting to
more than 28,000 hours of student volunteer effort per academic
yearthe equivalent of nearly 20 people working for the needs of
the community full-time, year-round.
Award recipients were seniors Kelly
Knapp, of Clinton, N.Y., for volunteer services on the College campus
and also with the Counseling Service of Addison Countys
“Community Friends” program; Marc Limmany, of Albuquerque, N.M., for
his emergency response team efforts with the Vergennes Area Rescue
Squad; Meredith Livoti, of Scarsdale, N.Y., for her volunteerism with
Elderly Services, Inc.s “Project Independence;” and Katherine
Pruitt, of Colorado Springs, Colo., for her work on behalf of Addison
Central School and the Colleges Page 1 Literacy Project.
Also receiving the award were juniors Randy Cofield of Fairview
Heights, Ill., for his leadership with the Colleges Martin
Luther King Day of Service, Black History Month Conference, and other
initiatives for the development of an enriched community awareness
and social involvement; and Billie Goldman, of Doylestown, Pa., for
her coaching and companionship with the Special Olympics Vermont swim
program in Addison County. The recipient of the Donchian Literacy
Award is Timothy Brownell, of Ridgewood, N.J., for his efforts on
behalf of several area schools and programs through Middlebury
Colleges Page 1 Literacy Project.
At the dinner, President John
McCardell told honorees that the public service aspect of student
life ranks among the most noteworthy achievements. He said, “You join
a lengthening line of Middlebury students embodying the values of
volunteer service, a tradition that is one of the most respected on
campus. Through your efforts, the lives of people throughout the
broad community in which we live are improved.”
Keynote speaker for the dinner was
Peter Langrock, founding partner of Langrock Sperry & Wool. Under
Langrocks leadership, the successful firm has kept pro bono
work at the heart of its community focus, and was awarded the 2000
Pro Bono Law Firm Award by the National Law Journal.
Each year in February or March, a
call for nominations goes out to the community to begin the selection
process for the award. Decisions are based upon students
demonstrated dedication to a cause, level of help toward making a
positive change for an individual or for the community, and
initiative toward increasing the awareness and involvement of other
Middlebury College students in public service. Each nomination was
returned to the Colleges service learning office and reviewed
by a committee of College students, faculty, and staff.
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