A Note from VIP Supervisor Corina Sadler, CVA We Celebrate You During National Volunteer Week! This has been a spring unlike any other, but we are still here to celebrate National Volunteer Week with you. Every April we would gather in-person to share awards, food and fun across departments within the City of Plano. Our plans were changed, but we are committed to the great spirit of volunteerism that thrives in Plano. I am grateful for our volunteers who stayed home to ensure their own safety and the safety of their communities and to our staff who dropped everything to respond to our residents and each other. We may be apart, but we stand strong in our mission to keep Plano the City of Excellence. Although the volunteer stories below are from weeks past, the staff photos tell the story of today. Happy National Volunteer Week to every volunteer, community partner, faith member, city staff and resident who helped someone during this time – we celebrate you! With gratitude, Corina Sadler, CVA

At Volunteers in Plano

Parks and Recreation Staff Monitor Plano Parks VIP staff Rebecca Hand and Robert Gonzales supported Plano Parks and Recreation's Friendly Park Monitor program this month. They each kept a watchful eye on our beautiful parks to ensure everyone was practicing social distancing and provided excellent customer service. Plano residents continue to enjoy Plano's 82 beautiful parks and trails while practicing responsible social distancing.

Safety Minute Features Volunteers in Plano Thank you Officer Chris Bianez from the Plano Police Department for highlighting the VIP program in this episode of Safety Minute. These brief, yet informative, videos are aimed at increasing the safety of people and their property. Watch more Safety Minute videos on the YouTube playlist.

Special Recognition

Good Neighbor Volunteer Awards Dinner

On October 10, 2019, the Neighborhood Services Department hosted its first Good Neighbor Volunteer Awards Dinner. They recognized volunteers and community partners who have gone above and beyond to assist our Plano residents. Recipients of the awards are noted below. The Heart of Service Award went to a dear and now sadly departed friend of the City, Jim McGuire. Jim passed away in January of this year, having touched many of our Plano residents and City staff with his kindness and eagerness to serve. Thank you to all our award winners! We are grateful for all that you do! To learn more about the Good Neighbor Volunteer Program, please send an email to best@plano.gov. Congratulations to all of the award winners!

Community Neighbor Award Winners Chase Oaks Church Republic Services Inc Plano Overnight Warming Station (POWS) Love Where You Live Neighbor Award Bob Pirtle Plano CARES Neighbor Award Wendy Merlo Neighborly Neighborhood Award Whiffletree V, VI, VII Heart of Service Award Jim McGuire

Interurban Railway Museum Awards

Each year our favorite gem in downtown Plano recognizes the volunteers who keep their history-sharing space thriving. Volunteer and Plano Conservancy Board member Cheryl Smith won the Maggie Sprague Historic Preservation Award for her work in the Johnnie J. Myers Transportation Research Center. Museum volunteer Mike Roberts won the Russell Kissick Volunteer of the Year Award for going above and beyond to help with special events and last-minute school tours. Check out the blog post Mike wrote about his first year as a museum volunteer! Thank you to Astraios Chamber Music for donating concert tickets for our award winners.

Spotlight on Police Volunteers: Our Heroes

Officer Bianez took time to recognize the annual awards presentation of the Plano Citizens Police Academy Alumni Association. This group is truly dedicated to serving Plano residents and the Police Department. Congratulations to everyone featured in the video and special appreciation to award winners: Volunteer of the Year, Jeri Horton and Rookie of the Year, Frank Guckes. You make Plano the City of Excellence! Check out Officer Bianez's video here.

Volunteers Help from Home

Just because our Plano Animal Shelter volunteers are not able to serve in-shelter does not mean they are sitting idly by. Even during a pandemic, the shelter doesn't close and staff are there everyday from sunup to sundown taking care of animals and assisting residents with adoptions. Several volunteers went above and beyond to ensure the health and safety of our Plano Animal Shelter staff. Janette Purtell used her talents with sewing to make masks for staff and Kathi Cavanagh made sanitizing spray that could clean even the dirtiest of surfaces. Thank you Janette and Kathi for your thoughtful gifts! Another big thank you goes out to volunteer, Suzanne Bechtol and her company, Granite Properties for their generous donation of $1,000 to the Plano Animal Shelter. If you would like to support the Plano Animal Shelter during this time, check out their wish list of needed items. You can easily order from your favorite retailer online and have it shipped to the shelter or make an appointment to drop it off.

Organizations Give Back to Plano

VIP builds strong relationships with businesses and community organizations wanting to volunteer with the City of Plano. This fall there will be opportunities for groups to serve in a variety of ways in our departments. Thank you to the following businesses and student groups who teamed up for volunteering!

Bank of America at Holi Fest at Davis Library

Capital One Hispanics in Tech Support at Harrington Library

Finastra Leads Hour of Code at Davis Library

PISD Occupational Therapy Staff at Davis Library

Finastra Boxes Books at Haggard Library

Bank of America at Harrington Library

UTD Viva Volunteer Day at Davis Library

UTD Viva Volunteer Day at Haggard Library

City of Plano Staff Miss Volunteers

They say absence makes the heart grow fonder right? Team Plano misses our volunteers and cannot wait for you all to be able to return to the departments and programs you serve. We thank you for all of your service to the City of Plano and we look forward to seeing you soon.

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