News & Views: CHR in the News

City thanks its volunteers at annual luncheon

By EMILIE ALFINO

ealfino@breezenewspapers.com

Sanibelians love their island, and hundreds of its citizens give countless hours every year to keep the city government functioning. Last week, the city held a luncheon at the Sanibel Communication Association to say “thank you.”

“I don't think Sanibel as a city could operate without volunteers,” Mayor Mick Denham said. While this luncheon was given for city volunteers, Denham gave a nod to volunteers for organizations throughout Sanibel, including the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation, the J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge, and the Bailey-Matthews Shell Museum. “The volunteers of the island do a significant job making everything we love on the island work properly,” Denham continued. “It's the same with the city. The city couldn't do what it does without volunteers.”

The new mayor made a commitment to the volunteers for the coming year: “We'll listen to you, we'll pay attention to you.”

City Manager Judie Zimomra explained the city recognizes volunteers for city government every year with a luncheon and a token (this year's gift was an insulated lunch box). “We've been doing it for six years,” Zimomra said. Every one of nearly 200 city volunteers is invited, filling the main room of the community center.

The volunteers include workers for the city's advisory committees, the planning commission, the board of Community Housing & Resources, docents for the Sanibel Historical Village and Museum, the Hammerheads, structural inspectors and HAM radio operators, last year's audit committee, the boards of directors of the policy and general employee pension funds, the senior center, police auxiliary, and contractors review board, among others.

“We are blessed with so many great and helpful individuals in this city who use their valuable time to make this community better despite the problems and concerns we face daily,” Councilman Jim Jennings said during the invocation.

What's best about volunteering?

“It's rewarding to give back for all the things I have,” Rick Sprout said. “I enjoy it.”

Sprout spends half the year on Sanibel and half in Pennsylvania. He volunteers with Dan Bender and Jim Ory. Together, they recruit and train additional people for Sanibel's amateur radio team, the Sanibel Emergency Response Volunteer Team. This team serves as the only means of communication for islanders during emergencies such as Hurricane Charley.

“We support the emergency group that goes around the island after hurricanes and provide communications when the telephones and everything else are out,” Bender explained.

Vice-mayor Carla Johnston made it a point to thank an additional group of people.

“I would like to ask the people who get paid to stand up,” Johnston said, recognizing city employees. She noted that they have to stay for the entire work day, every day, and never have the option to get up and leave.

Jennings called it “a great day for Sanibel.”

“I'm sure there are more people out there right now working hard for the city. The citizens all benefit because of your efforts,” Jennings told the volunteers. He said they help the city to keep taxes lower, too.

Interim council member Kevin Ruane, a candidate in the May 1 special election for city council, told the crowd, “I want to extend my gratitude for all the time and effort you put in to make this place what it is today.”

Ruane's opponent in that election, Karen Strojohann, also was at the luncheon. Her husband, Alex Werner, is a volunteer on the city's Historical Preservation Committee and serves as a docent at the museum.

“When he came to the island, he was too young to retire,” Strojohann explained. At first, he taught at the Bailey-Matthews Shell Museum, and later at the Sanibel Historical Village and Museum. “I had spent 33 years teaching and was exhausted. When I was sufficiently rested, what I did was attend city council and planning commission meetings, and that's how I volunteer. I pay attention to what's going on in our government. And we need more people doing that on a weekly basis. That's my type of volunteerism and that's why I'm running for city council, so I can do that more effectively by having a vote. When you think what would happen to our budget if we had to hire people for all the jobs these volunteers do—we would double our taxes at least, and probably wouldn't be able to hire the caliber of help we get from volunteers.”

Copied with permission from the Island Reporter, a division of the Breeze Corporation.

back to News & Views