Mayors' Awards Presented to ELL Volunteer and Student

posted on Thursday, April 24, 2014 in  College News

By: Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier

Residents Receive Mayors' Volunteer Awards

WATERLOO—The 36th annual Mayors’ Volunteer Awards were presented by the Volunteer Center of Cedar Valley on Tuesday at the Five Sullivan Brothers Center.

The awards program, which recognizes outstanding volunteers in the Cedar Valley, included a luncheon with 115 attendees. Award categories included the Volunteer Award, which recognizes the accomplishments of outstanding volunteers regardless of age or years of service; the Outstanding Emerging Volunteer Award, open to those age 19-35; and the Lifetime Achievement Award, for any nominee with 20-plus years of volunteerism in the Cedar Valley.

Twenty-six nominees received certificates from Mayor Jon Crews of Cedar Falls, Mayor Buck Clark of Waterloo and Mayor John Faas of Evansdale.

Maureen Murphy

Murphy has been an active volunteer with Hawkeye Community College’s English Language Learning (ELL) program for eight years. The students in these classes are adult immigrants and refugees from around the world, often with little to no formal education.

Murphy has volunteered with instructing both intermediate and pre-literacy ELL courses, not to mention working one-on-one with several students. She participates in professional development alongside Hawkeye staff members to continuously improve her English teaching skills.

Although she is qualified to be a paid ELL instructor, she prefers to volunteer so she can interact more closely with students.

Ryan Doland

Doland is able to volunteer while doing something he loves: baseball. In the summer at Deerwood Park in Evansdale, he is often found coaching either baseball or softball teams. He's also an umpire for baseball games.

Doland, 19, is attending Hawkeye's Criminal Justice program.

Read more on all the award winners.

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