By JESSA PEASE / Staff Writer

PELHAM— To honor the 1,112 volunteers with the Shelby County Retired and Senior Volunteer Program and the 2,818,454 volunteer hours accumulated since Jan. 1, 2000, RSVP held its annual Christmas Brunch and Award Ceremony Dec. 3 at the Pelham Civic Complex.

“The 250,000 plus hours that you have logged this year in volunteer service is phenomenal,” said Phil Burns, Shelby County chief operating officer. “You are making a difference in your service, day in and day out.”

RSVP has 95 active volunteer stations and Marvin Copes, Shelby County RSVP coordinator, said the amount of volunteer hours worked is valued at about $57.4 million dollars.

“It’s just amazing to know that there are so many people active in Shelby County…I want to applaud you for everything you are doing and I am so proud to be here,” said Tawanna Wright with the Corporation for National and Community Service. “I’m really proud of what’s happening here.”

Within RSVP there are 299 members who earned five-year service pins, 53 members who received 10-year pins, 16 who earned 15-year pins, six who received 20-year, seven who earned 25-year pins and one person who received a 35-year pin. Copes said there is one other person in RSVP who has been with the organization for more than 35 years.

The program continued to award trophies and plaques to organizations and individuals who had worked an extraordinary amount of hours.

Blue Star Salute Foundation, Alabaster Senior Center/Meals on Wheels, Calera Senior Center, Columbiana United Methodist Church, Pea Ridge Senior Club, Shelby Baptist Medical Center and Support Committee of the National Cemetery were awarded the Outstanding Station Award for completing more than 10,000 volunteer hours.

Bethlehem Baptist Church, Chelsea/Westover Homemakers and Community Leaders, Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, First Presbyterian Church of Alabaster, Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum, HERO, Montevallo First Baptist Church, Montevallo Homemakers and Community Leaders, Montevallo Senior Center/Meals on Wheels, Pelham Senior Center, Shelby Iron Works Association, Sky – Skilled Knowledgeable Youth, St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church and Wilsonville United Methodist Church UMC received the Station Achievement Award for completing between 5,000 and 10,000 volunteer hours.

Barry Blount, Edwina Chappel, Jim Choate, Stretch Dunn, Bernice Griffith, Cleta Howell, John A. Jones, Clem Muck and Mel Shinholster were each awarded the Spirit Award for going above and beyond as individuals within RSVP.

Finally, Copes awarded two Star Awards. One was given to Wilsonville Mayor Frances Phelps, who is a member of the VA Hospital Board and volunteers with veteran programs, and Mildred Baldwin, who has been volunteering for nearly 40 years.

“How can we say enough things about volunteerism,” said Pelham Mayor Gary Waters. “We couldn’t do what we do without volunteers, and we applaud what you do.”