DuPagePads Volunteer Receives Award from Exchange Club of Naperville
Recently, our friends at the Exchange Club of Naperville asked DuPagePads and other non-profits to nominate people who exemplify volunteering for the Exchange Club’s Ervin Kendzora Book of Golden Deeds Award. DuPagePads has a network of 4,000 volunteers and many of them have a tremendous impact on the families and individuals who are homeless that we serve. As a result, it is often hard to select just one person deserving of this honor.
DuPagePads nominated Dave, who came to mind as someone who has continually gone above and beyond in donating his time, talent and energy in Naperville. The agency is excited to report that DuPagePads volunteer Dave was one of two volunteers selected for the honor. He was invited to a special luncheon held by the Exchange Club of Naperville and awarded a plaque.
From Left: Janelle Barcelona, DuPagePads Vice President of Development; Volunteer Award Winner Dave; and Carol Simler, DuPagePads President & CEO.
Dave’s Nomination
For the past two years, Dave has been volunteering for DuPagePads after retiring from his law practice.
Dave’s volunteer efforts can be described as dedicated, reliable, faithful and caring. He often volunteers for the hard to fill overnight shifts at our Interim (Overnight) Housing sites, helping our overnight sites remain open 365 nights a year.
Always willing to lend a hand, Dave has been described by our Volunteer Coordinator as practically being “on-call” whenever we have an urgent volunteer need.
Reflecting a sincere attitude to serve, once a DuPagePads client left their ID at an overnight site, Dave drove it to our Client Service Center, which allowed our client to have one less worry and burden to carry.
As a result of engaging with the people we serve, Dave has become an advocate for our mission to end homelessness. He once described his commitment to DuPagePads this way,
“The circumstances of life can unjustly and unfairly harm some people to the point of homelessness. Even for those who have been criminally prosecuted and convicted and served their time as ordered, homelessness is the next step never ordered by a court.
Homelessness can be the unjust result of poor, juvenile judgment and peer-caused pressure to start using addictive alcohol or drugs; abusive domestic relationships; loss of employment or inability to learn new job skills; or mental illness…Volunteering for DuPagePads helps right those painful and undeserved wrongs.”
Interested in volunteering?
- Summer Volunteers Needed – Our greatest time of need for volunteers is in the summer months. Interested in becoming a DuPagePads volunteer? Click here
- Ribfest 2018 – The Exchange Club of Naperville is once again hosting Ribfest July 4th – 7th. The more volunteers we recruit, the more proceeds go toward ending homelessness. Click here
