California State University, Fresno’s annual Service Recognition Reception honored “The Spirit of Community” demonstrated by students, faculty and staff for thousands of hours of volunteer time helping meet the region’s many challenges.

The event also inaugurated President’s Call to Service Award. Its first two honorees are President John D. Welty and Chris Fiorentino, director of the university Jan and Bud Richter Center for Community Engagement and Service-Learning, for their extraordinary example of volunteerism and leadership.

Welty was cited for volunteering 1,800 hours the past two years in community service in addition to his support for the Richter Center, American Humanics Program and other service-learning by Fresno State students, and his encouragement of student and staff community service.

Fiorentino was recognized for building service-learning into an integral part of Fresno State’s engaged university status. In addition, he has contributed thousands of volunteer hours and been the conduit between campus and community in organizing student, faculty and staff involvement.

Dr. Matthew Jendian, director of the American Humanics Program, said the surprise announcement at the end of the awards program honors both men for “contributing to the transformation of this university into an engaged regional university.”

“Their mutually shared value orientation towards service and dedicated efforts to volunteerism, service-learning and civic engagement are what make that transformation a reality,” Jendian added.

During the event on Wednesday, May 5, Spirit of Service Awards were presented to the following students (unless otherwise designated):

  • Celeste Pilegard, the University Student Volunteer of the year.
  • Sue Vang, the Community Service Scholarship Program
  • Esperanza Navarro, Scholars Service Grant Program
  • Marla Hartman, American Humanics Program
  • Betsy Hays (a Mass Communication-Journalism professor), Faculty Member
  • Lanny Larson (editor University Communications), Staff Member

Also honored were student leaders participating in the Richter Center Ambassadors program and students in the American Humanics Program, which trains people to be leaders of nonprofit organizations, and faculty members who incorporate service-learning into their curricula.

Special recognition went to the Smittcamp Family Honors College for the community service in which all its students participate, but especially for a Make-a-Wish project in which most Smittcamp students were involved.

The Children’s Hospital Central California Foundation was honored for its engagement with Fresno State in a number of projects involving service and training.

Fresno State staff, faculty and students were challenged by Welty to bring the total volunteer hours from campus to 1 million annually by the end of the university’s Centennial in 2011.

For details about this year’s service awards, visit the Richter Center Ambassadors blog.

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