Abode Recognizes Volunteers at Reception

Volunteers are the lifeblood of our efforts to end homelessness in our community. In fact, more than 2,500 volunteers performed thousands of hours of service in 2017, helping many Abode participants.

In honor of Volunteer Appreciation Week in 2018 — which ran from April 15-21 that year — we held our Volunteer Appreciation Reception to celebrate the many community members who donate their time to assist the families and individuals in our programs. 

The list of volunteers honored at the ceremony included:

President's Volunteer Service Award
Akul Shourie

Distinguished Service Award
Steve Conn

Service Award - Nurses
Evangeline Bayani, Howard Chao, Jeongsim Izadi, Susan Kimura, Janie Pang, Hop Phan Vu, and Bing Bing Zhang

Service Award - Photographers
Corey Carter, Serrena Carter, Ken Drachnik, and Elizabeth Drachnik

Service Award - Tutors
Mary Alice Eve, Jan Leimert, Linda Messia, Carol Quinn, and Kevin Quinn

Take Action Service Award
Girl Scout Troop #33821 - led by Rashida Patel, Fatima Ghazail, and Richard Godfrey

The event's live speaker was Debra Kane, a former Abode participant who now works full-time at our Sunrise Village Emergency Shelter. She delivered an inspiring speech that described her experience as a single mother who, with Abode's help, and the support of our numerous and dedicated volunteers, narrowly avoided homelessness. The reception also screened a poignant six-minute video that featured three Abode participants who discussed their journey from homelessness into a home.

We'd like to give special thanks to the event sponsor, Fremont Bank, and to Centerville Presbyterian Church, which hosted the April 16 ceremony in Fremont. We also thank the local businesses that donated the reception's raffle prizes.

It was a great celebration of our volunteers, and we appreciate all of you who made it possible!