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Honored

The Windham-Tolland County 4-H Foundation recently honored two volunteers. Left to right are: Louise Pempek, Foundation President Jane Rider, Sandra Ahola. Courtesy photo. 

 

 

BROOKLYN —  Two local volunteers were honored recently by the Windham County 4-H Foundation.  Sandra Ahola and Louise Pempek received the newly created Founder’s Spirit Award for exemplary foundation volunteers who have gone “above and beyond” in their support of the foundation’s mission.

The announcement came from foundation president Jane Rider. 

The 2014 camp season will be the 60th year that the camp has been in operation.  Rider noted that it is a remarkable achievement for an all volunteer operated foundation to have been able to operate a business successfully for all of those years.   2014 will hopefully bring a very tangible symbol of that success as we plan to start our much needed lodge renovation project at the end of this camp year.   The Founder’s Spirit Award was created to honor the work of members whose commitment to the organization exemplifies the spirit of those founding individuals. 

Ahola and Pempek have served on the board for many years in a variety of capacities and Louise’s father, Loid Cutler was one of the Foundation’s original members.  They were recognized for their service to the Foundation over the years, but especially in recognition of their fund-raising efforts for the lodge project

Officers elected include:  Jane Rider, president; J. Marlies Thomen, vice president; Eileen Fritz, secretary and Sandra Ahola, treasurer.  Rider said the support from state government, business leaders and private citizens in fund-raising for this project reflects the grass roots support that the Foundation has enjoyed from the very beginning when each of the 17 original Foundation members contributed both time and money and raised enough funds to buy the original 25 acres with a pond of what is now a 257-acre property and then proceeded to build the camp on mostly volunteer  labor, much of it theirs. 

 

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