Local non-profits to receive $4,000 in recognition of excellence of service(GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – October 2, 2009) Priority Health announced four regional winners with Senior Impact Awards in four Michigan counties: Grand Traverse, Muskegon, Kalamazoo and Oakland. The award program recognizes volunteers aged 63 years and older who devote their time and energy towards improving their communities. As part of this recognition, Priority Health will award $1,000 to each recipient’s volunteer organization.Priority Health partnered with both the United Way and Volunteers of West Michigan to identify senior volunteers, collect nominations and select winners. The 2009 recipients and their volunteer organizations include:
About the Senior Impact Award recipients Known locally as "Grandma Terry," Terry Osinski volunteers for the Women's Resource Center in Traverse City. The organization runs Helen's House Emergency Shelter and Sara's House transition home, which support women and children survivors of domestic and sexual violence. At the age of 82, "Grandma Terry" splits her time between the two facilities four days a week. Muskegon County's Eloise Selleck currently volunteers at Muskegonites Child Study Club, a group she originally formed in 1931 as a local club to help young mothers learn about child development. Today the group helps children of less fortunate families by providing hot meals, clothing and school supplies. Selleck has also served on the boards of the Muskegon YWCA Y-Teen program and Muskegon Webster House. David Marker began volunteering in 1997 in the Kalamazoo County Probate Court. Although Marker’s health recently took a turn for the worse and he is now receiving services from Hospice Care of Southwest Michigan, his work stands as a prime example of dedicated community service. Marker volunteered with residents of adult foster homes, nursing homes and the psychiatric hospital, where he was known for accepting cases that other volunteers had declined. Marker also volunteered at Senior Services, where he delivered meals for the Meals on Wheels program. His pet project is to make suncatchers for the hospice patients in the area, a hobby he still enjoys today, despite being under hospice care himself. Oakland County’s Ronald Voorheis has volunteered for the Huron Valley Community Chest for the past 50 years. He also volunteers with the White Lake Presbyterian Church, Meals on Wheels, Goodfellows Association, White Lake Historical Society and the Senior Center. Voorheis works with the Community Chest to help with local families who struggle with heat and electricity bills, medical bills and child care, and he often helps repair hot water tanks, furnaces and vehicles. Local community leaders estimate that Voorhies has improved the lives of over 2,500 families over the last half century. About Priority Health Priority Health is a nationally recognized health benefits company based in Michigan. It serves 500,000 members with a broad portfolio of products including commercial and government health plans. A nonprofit dedicated to providing all people access to affordable health care, Priority Health continues to be recognized as one of America’s Best Health Plans by U.S. News & World Report and NCQA. Priority Health employs 900 people throughout Michigan’s Lower Peninsula with offices in Grand Rapids, Farmington Hills, Holland, Jackson, Kalamazoo and Traverse City.
Last modified
10/06/09
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