Will County Emergency Management Volunteers Receive President's Service Award

15 volunteers with the Will County Emergency Management Agency (EMA) received President’s Volunteer Service Awards from AmeriCorps and the non-profit Points of Light in recognition of the extensive time dedicated to the agency and public safety. The volunteers received their awards at the April meeting of the Will County Board on April 20, 2023.

“We are fortunate to have an amazing team of volunteers who happily dedicate their time to making our communities safer,” said Will County EMA Director Allison Anderson. “Our volunteers are trained and prepared to respond to a wide range of emergencies. I greatly appreciate their commitment to Will County’s safety.”

Last year, volunteers donated a total of 5,548 hours of their time as part of the EMA Volunteer Program. The 15 volunteers who received awards accounted for nearly half of those hours through responding to emergencies or educating the public about disaster preparedness.

Of the 15 awardees, two received the Silver Award Level for their hours of service and 13 were awarded at the Bronze Award Level category. Also awarded was Arthur Vidmar, who recently received the Governor’s Volunteer Service Award from the Serve Illinois Commission on Volunteerism and Community Service in the Category of Senior – Northeast Section. Vidmar has volunteered with the agency for over 30 years.

“Our EMA volunteers serve a critical role in Will County’s ability to prepare for potential disaster situations and ensure an effective response in times of need,” said County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant. “I congratulate all award recipients for their much-deserved recognition and thank them for committing so much of their time to Will County’s safety.”

Silver Award Level recipients were Allen Matza and Art Vidmar. Bronze Award Level recipients were Adam Jomant, Allen Matza, Art Vidmar, Bill Beedon, Brent Oots, Brian Cramer, Daniel Niemeyer, Jeff Marvin, John Skoryi, Jonathan Nelson, Michael Dorencz, Michael McGowan, and Sandra Studer.

The Will County EMA Volunteer Program empowers community members to support preparedness and response efforts. Volunteers receive specialized training to assist EMA’s efforts to educate residents about disaster preparedness, support responders by providing mutual aid and assistance to incidents and disasters, and aid in recovery efforts by augmenting the community’s response capability.

To learn more about volunteering with EMA, visit www.willcountyema.org/become-a-volunteer.