Volunteers are the heart of any non-profit and their service and commitment, invaluable.

Farmington Community Events Center honored volunteer service during the Farmington Community Association Annual Meeting on May 5. Ninety-four volunteers donated a total of 14,643 hours during 2017.

Each year, Independent Sector sets a monetary value for volunteer labor. For 2017, that valuation was $24.14 per hour and, on that basis, the Farmington volunteers donated more than $350,000.

The volunteers at Farmington provided landscaping services, building maintenance and repairs, led fund-raising, worked special events, organized and compiled historical documents, added to the Nature Park, and much more.

“Their commitment to Farmington is significant and their impact, profound,” said Melanie Forbes Cook, executive director.

Farmington Community Events Center is a certified volunteer organization with the President’s Volunteer Service Award Program.  During 2017, eight of the volunteers served more than 250 hours, and were awarded the Silver Award.  Volunteers receiving that award were: Bob Ellis, Kathy Ellis, Gary Forbes, Jonathan Cook, Phoebe Smith, David Mills, Allyson Sawtelle and Garry Stele.

Two special volunteers were awarded the President’s Lifetime Achievement Award, an honor designated for those who have contributed 4,000 hours of volunteer service during their lifetime. The two recipients were John Caudle and Laura Mathis.

Caudle was one of the founders of the Farmington Community Association in 1971, and was instrumental in seeing the “the old schoolhouse” was preserved for future generations.  In his lifetime, he has spent time and resources caring for the buildings, grounds, and management of the community center.  He continues to serve in many areas and is a vital part of the Farmington community.

Mathis was the executive director, and the first paid employee, of the community center.

“As a member of the community, she has invested deeply in the center and in seeing its growth,”Cook said. She was instrumental in getting the Farmington Nature Park. She was also instrumental in the lives of the people whose lives she touched with the programs that she ran.

There are ongoing needs for time and monetary support as the center continues to provide resources for the community. Visit www.farmingtoncc.org for information on how you can be a part of “Preserving the Past to Promote the Future” at Farmington.