by John Reid

“Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile.”

Albert Einstein

Service unto others can often go without reward, and for those who selflessly go beyond the call of duty, helping those in need is its own reward. On Friday at the Occoquan-Woodbridge-Lorton Volunteer Fire Department, the Prince William County Community Foundation honored those who gave their time in volunteer service over the past year with the Presidential Volunteer Service Awards.

There were 109 volunteers, who performed approximately 55,567 community service hours, that won the awards. Based on the number of hours each volunteer gave, each recipient was divided into Bronze (0 to 249 hours), Silver (249 to 499 hours), and Gold (500 hours and above) categories. They were also given a pin and a letter of recognition signed by President Joe Biden.

PWCCF President Dr. Vanessa Gattis spoke with the PW Perspective on why it was important to recognize the volunteers. “When I read the number of hours that these people from OWL completed, it was no question for us to recognize their volunteer service,” she said. “Next week is Volunteer Service Week, so to present them these awards from PWCCF is an honor. We want to recognize any organization that has volunteers, because volunteers are the backbone, and without them we wouldn’t be able to function.”

“Coordinating with President Williams and the OWL Chief, ” she continued, “they were ecstatic when I called about doing something for their volunteer members, because they know it takes a lot of support to leave your family and come do a work that’s greater than yourself.”

“People don’t have to do that, and so to get them to come out and look beyond themselves to help service others is significant. We wanted to take the time to recognize those who give to our community.”

Please visit the PWCCF website for more on their activities.