News Release

“NORTHEAST REGION SELECTS OUTSTANDING VOLUNTEERS”

Date: August 28, 2019
Contact: Becky Eggleston, 757- 898-2401

The Northeast Region received nominations for the George and Helen Hartzog Awards for Outstanding Volunteer Service from a number of parks across the region. The NPS created these awards to honor volunteers’ hard work, draw attention to their vast skills and contributions, and to stimulate development of innovative projects and volunteer involvement. Award categories include Individual, Group and Youth Group Service, Park Volunteer Program, Youth Volunteer, and Enduring Service Award.

The excellent nominations submitted to the Northeast Region are proof of the valuable work our volunteers are doing across the region in every division of our parks. Thanks to the Volunteer Coordinators in the parks, whose support makes this work possible. It was difficult to select one regional award for each category due to the caliber of the nominations.

Congratulations to Thomas McWithey, Northeast Regional and National George and Helen Hartzog Outstanding Youth Volunteer Award recipient representing Colonial National Historical Park. His resource stewardship brought 17 troop members to actively participate and gave over 150 volunteer hours to install fifteen bluebird houses. Thomas’ efforts have provided the platform for the Resources Division to collect and analyze more data and continue to help them adapt programs to benefit the coexistence of people and birds, and thus connect visitors to the park.

Congratulations to Troop 306, Northeast Regional George and Helen Hartzog Outstanding Youth Group Volunteer Award recipient representing Colonial National Historical Park. They weeded, cut grass, pruned bushes, shoveled sand, and removed various genus of overgrowth at the Cape Henry site entryway. In addition, they assisted another volunteer team in mulching rose beds and edging sidewalks that restored overgrown statues and benches for visitor use. Troop 306’s project has led directly to the increased enjoyment of the park facilities by Virginia Beach visitors and made Cape Henry a showplace fitting to the distinction where the Jamestown Settlers first landed in 1607.

Congratulations to all Colonial NHP volunteers, Northeast Regional George and Helen Hartzog Outstanding Park Volunteer Program Award recipient. The Colonial National Historical Park VIP Program had the most success it’s seen in the last ten years, thanks to the work of hundreds of volunteers, dedicated partners, and supportive park staff. “Due to our outstanding volunteers, the Northeast Region selected Colonial volunteers for three of the award categories, said Management Support Specialist Becky Eggleston. “Our volunteers have been selected for one or more Hartzog Awards for the last nine years in a row. Mike Byrd, our Volunteer and Youth Coordinator, does an excellent job of writing and submitting award packages so that our volunteers can be recognized for
their contributions. He too deserves great credit for the success of Colonial’s Volunteers In Parks Program.”

Productive partner relationships and sponsorships between many of the schools, scout troops, and military organizations have provided an investment to the park mission and resources that continued to meet Call to Action [C2A] goals. In FY 18, the park employed 2,474 volunteers working over 27,000 hours.