They come from across the state for the most part as strangers, but all 12 of them now share a common recognition for work that's unpaid and extremely important in Mississippi. As part of the Governor's GIVE Awards, their volunteer service was the exhibit on display at the Mississippi Museum of Art Monday.
"I do not do volunteer work for awards. I do volunteer work because it's in my heart," said Delmar Robinson, who received the award for Outstanding Achievement in Sustainable Community Solutions.
Robinson is one of those people who folks at the Mississippi Commission for Volunteer Service say give more of themselves than many people would even think about. Robinson helped establish the Harrison County Habitat for Humanity and now sits as chairman of Habitat for Humanity of the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Robinson says once he retired he saw too much work needing to still be done.
"There's a good feeling whenever you do volunteer work," said Robinson.
Proving volunteer work can never start too soon is Callie Crider from Hattiesburg. At age 12, she's the youngest recipient of the Governor's GIVE Awards. Recognized for her work with the Association for the Rights of Citizens with Developmental Disabilities, Crider says volunteering doesn't even feel like work and hopes youth will get more involved.
"If you don't do it when you're younger, you're not going to do it when you're older," said Crider, who received the award for Outstanding Service by a Youth.
That's something Elbert Hilliard knows all about. He's the longest serving agency director in Mississippi at the Department of Archives and History. When he retired from the position in 2004, he got up and went right back to work at the department as a volunteer and hasn't stopped. It's a dedication he says all Mississippians should take seriously.
"I think it gets back to service and feeling of commitment to serve your fellow man," said Hilliard, who received the award for Lifetime Achievement in Volunteer Service.
Without that service, these men and woman say Mississippi would not be where it is today, in terms of disaster recovery, citizenship and community progress.
"I guess my only regret is that we do not have more people in our state and in the country that's doing volunteer work because there's so much," said Robinson.
"It's important for everyone to feel good about helping the less fortunate and all those who need help," said Crider.
Governor Phil Bryant even signed a proclamation declaring the week of April 15th through the 22nd as Volunteer Week in Mississippi.
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