Council of Churches of the Ozarks News Release:

(June 18, 2009 – Springfield, MO) Ten Ozarks area volunteers were chosen from an outstanding field of 70 nominees to receive recognition as Volunteers of the Year at the 2009 Gift of Time Volunteer Recognition and Awards Luncheon. The luncheon was held at the Ramada Oasis Convention Center in Springfield.

The luncheon honored all 70 Gift of Time nominees. The ten individuals that were recognized as the Gift of Time Volunteers of the Year are:

• Raven Augustine, Springfield, Missouri – Nominated by Stalnaker Boys and Girls Club
  
• Major Close, Springfield, Missouri – Nominated by Friends of the Garden
  
• Bill Cloven, Springfield, Missouri – Nominated by Schweitzer United Methodist Church
  
• Brad Cox, Buffalo, Missouri – Nominated by Southwest Missouri Office on Aging
  
• Gary Deaver, Springfield, Missouri – Nominated by Rotary Club of Springfield Southeast
  
• Charlene Moseley, Springfield, Missouri – Nominated by Southwest Missouri Office on Aging
  
• Judi Murphy, Springfield, Missouri – Nominated by Central Assembly of God
  
• Patti Penny, Springfield, Missouri – Nominated by Ozarks Family YMCA, Seymour, Missouri
  
• Sue Schuble, Springfield, Missouri – Nominated by Springfield-Greene County Park Board
  
• Bruce Snavely, Republic, Missouri – Nominated by Central Assembly of God
  

An impartial team of business and civic leaders reviewed the field of 70 nominees to select ten individuals as the Volunteers of the Year. Nominees for this year’s Gift of Time Awards included volunteers from age 11 to 87, nominated by more than 50 different Ozarks organizations.

The Ten Volunteers of the Year were honored with a special Gift of Time hourglass award and presented with a proclamation from the City of Springfield. Each of the ten volunteers will be featured in an upcoming issue of 417 Magazine.

In keeping with tradition, a portrait of each of the Ten Volunteers of the Year will be displayed for one year in the lobby of the Busch Municipal Building on the Rosanna Bradshaw Memorial Volunteer Wall of Fame. Rosanna Bradshaw was instrumental in creating the Gift of Time Award while serving at the Council of Churches of the Ozarks.

The sponsors of the 2009 Gift of Time Awards include the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce, 417 Magazine, Cox Health, Southwest Missouri Association of Volunteer Administrators (SMAVA), B & E Printing, Elite Promotions, Dan Emrie Photography, the City of Springfield, Wickman’s Gardens, and the Council of Churches of the Ozarks.