Read To Succeed held its annual a Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon on Thursday, April 26 at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church.
"Read To Succeed has many wonderful volunteers," new Executive Director Jolene Radnoti said about she introduced the Outstanding Contributions to Literacy Award honoree former Executive Director Lisa Mitchell.
Mitchell led Read To Succeed for seven years. As a champion for literacy in Rutherford County, she established partnerships with organizations throughout Middle Tennessee, resulting in new funding, original programming and increased community awareness.
Mitchell was a dedicated team leader, always the first to offer assistance when a staff member needed help. She gladly wore many hats, ranging from public speaker and funding solicitor to information booth representative and back-up adult literacy instructor. She did it all with a genuine smile and generous heart for our community.
Read To Succeed also honored those who truly epitomized the word volunteer. The gathering included tutors, ESL teachers, learners, community leaders, school groups and churches that have dedicated their time to celebrating literacy and raising literacy awareness in the past year.
The Read To Succeed staff presented awards to the following volunteers:
- Tutor of the Year: Bob Potter
- Learner of the Year: Pleas Nelson
- ESL Team of the Year: LaVergne United Methodist Church
- ESL Learner of the Year: Veronica Testa
- Ambassador of the Year: Geraldine Montilla
- Shining Star of the Year: Rasha Abdelrahman
- Family Literacy Volunteer of the Year: Valerie Dehoff
- Family Literacy Volunteer Group of the Year: Smyrna High Schools Beta Club
- Board Member of the Year: Mark Sharp
In addition to these awards, Read To Succeed also recognizes volunteers each month with the honor of being a “Shining Star.” Those recognized in 2017-2018 include Tammy Walker, Lucy Saupe, Ronald Pridgen, McKayla Boatwright, Valerie Dehoff, Linda Reasonover, Jennifer Joines, Ashlynn Todd, Suzy Willis, Rasha Abdelrahman, Lindsey Elmore, Bob Potter.
Lunch was provided by Carolyn’s Creations. Our own Karen Vaughn served as the photographer and helped with decorations.
About Read To Succeed
Jolene Radnoti serves as the Executive Director, Dianne Hall as the Family Literacy coordinator, Carolynn Kobiske as the Adult Literacy coordinator, Malia Grubbs as the Volunteer/Media & Event Coordinator, and Amy Maynard as the Office Manager.
For more information and pictures of this event, please visit www.readtosucceed.org or our facebook page.
