The Mayor’s Office of Volunteerism and Engagement (MOVE) manages an ongoing non-competitive volunteer recognition program to honor outstanding volunteers for their service to others and the community. The “MOVE UP” award was established to acknowledge and recognize volunteers in the City of Albuquerque and surrounding communities.

Individuals who meet all nomination criteria will be recognized in the following way:
 Official certificate signed by the Mayor of Albuquerque and MOVE UP outstanding community volunteer pin.
 Recognition through listing on the MOVE website.
 Possible feature on GOV16 television broadcasts and other media outlets.

Nomination Criteria:
• Nominations are open to outstanding volunteers in the City of Albuquerque and in Bernalillo, Sandoval, Torrance, and Valencia counties.
• Recognition is for volunteers demonstrating exemplary or outstanding service to individuals, organizations, or the community at large.
• Members of the MOVE Advisory Board will review nomination forms on a quarterly basis and verify volunteer service. Awards will be posted online (www.cabq.gov/move). Nominees will be notified at quarterly intervals throughout each year.

On April 11, 2008, Mayor Chavez recognized the following volunteers at a reception held at the Albuquerque Museum:

Roberto A. Aragon. Since 2006, Mr. Aragon has logged in 300 hours of service at Laurelwood Park. The City of Albuquerque Park Management Division has saved time and money (approximately $3,750) thanks to Mr. Aragon’s help in keeping the park clean.

Sylvia Ball. Mrs. Ball has volunteered at Roadrunner Food Bank every Tuesday since October 2006. She takes on any assigned task, and most recently has helped with data entry.

Alene Bennett. When a student at S.Y. Jackson Elementary School was diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia, Ms. Bennett organized various fundraisers to help the boy’s family with medical costs. Through Ms. Bennett’s efforts and the generosity of the school community, the family has received close to $6,000!

Peter Bernstein. Mr. Bernstein packs boxes of food for distribution to low-income individuals and families at Jewish Family Service. In addition to packing food boxes, he delivers them to homebound seniors (covering a 40 mile radius) each week.

John Brooks. Nominated by Albuquerque Reads for his dedication to reading with kindergarten students at Bel-Air Elementary School. He often spends a few extra minutes to ask specific questions about he can help his students excel. In addition, he made a presentation to the school’s student body regarding his travels to Africa during “Geography Day.”

Dorothy Brown. Nominated by the City of Albuquerque Park Management Division for her assistance at USS Bullhead, Tom Bollack and Rio Grande Dog Parks. She provides feedback to Park Management staff to better accommodate the needs of park visitors.

Marlene Brown. Nominated by the N.M. Solar Energy Association for her dedication to the promotion of solar energy in all forms throughout the State of New Mexico. She created and chairs an annual forum on “Women in Solar” to promote women’s participation in the solar energy field.

Beth Brownell. Ms. Brownell is the most outstanding volunteer the Albuquerque Opportunity Center has ever seen! During the past two years, she has devoted scores of hours to making the center a more hospitable and accommodating environment for homeless individuals.

Elli Bryant. Nominated by the staff at Wherry Elementary School for her dedication to helping kindergarten students learn to read as part of the Albuquerque Reads program. She always arrives early and helps with room set up.

Victoria Chouinard. Nominated by her employer, Cardinal Health, for her dedication to volunteerism. She has organized her company’s employees to raise more than $25,000 for the Alzheimer’s Association. Additionally, she volunteers with adolescents at the Youth Diagnostic Center.

Luke Fields. Luke conducts weekly presentations for Talking Talons’ Environmental Education Outreach Program. Aside from that, he has helped construct animal cages for the agency.

Rudi Florian. Mr. Florian was born in Germany shortly before Hitler rose to power. Due to his young age, he escaped service in the German armed forces. After the war, he immigrated to the U.S. and joined the U.S. Air Force. His bright mind and keen command of his adopted English language have allowed him to compose a collection of writings and poetry commenting in powerful, moving language on the horror and pain of the Holocaust. He has volunteered at the New Mexico Holocaust and Intolerance Museum since 2001 where he has served as a docent.

Sandra Foster. Nominated by Sandia National Labs for her participation in various volunteer opportunities throughout the community. She volunteers with Sandia’s “CroSSlinks” and “Hands on Minds” programs to promote science in local schools.

Catherine Hannigan. Nominated by the Mid-Rio Grande Chapter of the American Red Cross for her work with the Emergency Services Department. During the past year, she has donated more than 250 hours delivering American Red Cross services to military personnel at Kirtland Air Force Base.

Judith Harris. Nominated by The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society for her participation in the Patient Services First Connection program, which gives cancer patients one-on-one support. She has also served as an organizer for the annual “Light the Night” fundraiser walk.

Teresa Kelly. Nominated by the staff at Wherry Elementary School for her dedication to helping kindergarten students learn to read as part of the Albuquerque Reads program.

Kirtland Air Force Base NCO Academy. Members of the NCO Academy have volunteered at Roadrunner Food Bank for the past two years. They are amazingly fast and efficient, and are a true joy to work with.

Raya Kovensky. Ms. Kovensky was nominated by Jewish Family Service for her service at Shalom House. She helps serve hot meals to the residents at the JFS meal site. She recently started a docent group called Building Blocks for Humanity, a group that raises funds for other organizations, foundations or individuals.

Ed and Jane McCullough. A husband-and-wife team nominated by Roadrunner Food Bank for their volunteer work over the past four years. In addition to volunteering at the food bank on a weekly basis, they purchased a washing machine and dryer for the organization.

Montessori of the Rio Grande Charter School "Goodness Guerrillas”.   Made up of 1st, 2nd and 3rd grade classes, the group has organized clean-ups of a community park, bosque bike path areas, and the school’s grounds. It also organized and carried out a food drive to benefit Roadrunner Food Bank in October 2007.


Jean Gleason Moreland. Nominated for her volunteer service at Cherry Hills Branch Library over the past ten years. Because she is always willing to help out where needed, the staff at Cherry Hills Library considers itself extremely fortunate to have Ms. Moreland as a volunteer.

Donald and Sally New. A husband-and-wife team nominated by the City of Albuquerque Animal Welfare Department for their devotion to the foster parent program. They take in puppies that do not have mothers and are in need of bottle feeding around the clock. They have taken in as many as ten babies at a time and nurtured them to become well rounded, healthy, loving pets.

Cody Neyrinck. Cody is a high school student who has volunteered countless hours with homeless pets at the City of Albuquerque Animal Welfare Department. He always goes the extra mile in carrying out his duties.

Nicodemus Wilderness Project. Nominated by the City of Albuquerque Open Space Division. In January 2000, Rob Dudley and Yih-Ming Hsu adopted the Piedra Lisa Open Space under their nonprofit environmental group—The Nicodemus Wilderness Project. Over the years, their hard work and dedication have remained consistent. They have not only contributed to the hands-on labor of maintaining Piedra Lisa, but they have also secured grant money that was devoted to restoration efforts in the area.

Carol Norton. During the past year, Ms. Norton has served 899 volunteer hours at the N.M. Veterans Affairs Health Care System. Her volunteer assistance in the agency’s office has been extremely valuable, and would have cost at least $12,000 if the agency had needed to hire someone to provide her services.

Janet Philippsen. Ms. Philippsen has been a long-time foster parent at the City of Albuquerque Animal Welfare Department. She not only takes in puppies and kittens, but she also fosters pets with medical needs. She nurses ill animals back to health so they can return to the shelter for adoption.

Criselda Pohl. Ms. Pohl has been an RSVP volunteer since 1999. RSVP is a volunteer program managed by the City of Albuquerque Senior Affairs Department. She refuses to accept gas mileage or meal reimbursement for her work. Eighty-one years young, she visits an older lady who is 91! Aside from that, she volunteers at other organizations such as Paloma Blanca and Kindred Rehabilitation.

Maria Prokesch. Nominated by the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation for her volunteer service at all special events hosted by the agency. She is committed to educating others about the foundation’s work to cure diabetes.

Rosalba Adriana Rincon. Ms. Rincon, a graduate student at UNM, is an exemplary Big Sister with Big Brothers Big Sisters of New Mexico. During the past year, she has been instrumental in starting up a BBBS student organization at the University of New Mexico.

Rose Salas. Ms. Salas is a volunteer with the Senior Affairs Department Senior Companion Program. She reaches out to program participants by opening her heart as a caring friend. Her compassion and patience have been of great assistance during difficult transition periods for incoming program enrollees.

Blaine Sant. Nominated by the Anderson-Abruzzo Albuquerque International Balloon Museum. Before the Museum opened, Mr. Sant spent countless hours helping with the preparation of the balloon pin collection. He is the consummate docent and enjoys taking visitors on a grand tour of the museum.

Margaret Shinn. Nominated by the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation for her volunteer service at all special events hosted by the agency. She is committed to educating others about the foundation’s work to cure diabetes.

Joe and Margie Sorell. Joe and Margie are a husband-and-wife team that has volunteered at Talking Talons Youth Leadership for the past four years. Every week, they sort through donated items and prepare them for sale at the agency’s thrift store.

Jeannine Steidl. During 2007, Ms. Steidl volunteered 223 hours at Juan Tabo Branch Library. Her volunteer service has allowed staff to focus fully on technical library tasks. Additionally, during the past three years, she has sewn 107 blankets for Project Linus. Blankets are given to children during hardship situations.

Molly Kathryn Stephens. She has volunteered at the Cherry Hills Branch Library since 2003, where she plays an integral role in the Read to the Dogs program. Read to the Dogs is a program where elementary age children read to therapy dogs to practice and gain confidence in their reading skills. Ms. Stephens is extremely enthusiastic and works well with the children who visit the library.

Kirsten Leigh Stopher. Although she is only 19 years old, her extraordinary maturity and professional competence in working with youth at A New Day Youth and Family Services is remarkable. She volunteered to co-facilitate the shelter’s first-ever Girls Council to provide support to young women in crisis.

Colonel Robert E. Suminsby, Jr. Nominated by Roadrunner Food Bank. In February 2008, he volunteered his time to lead the largest annual “Scouting for Food” donation drive in the history of the Albuquerque Metro area. Boy Scouts collected more than 15,700 pounds of food as a result of the drive.

Gail Taylor. Nominated by Roadrunner Food Bank for her weekly volunteer service during the past three years. She is always willing to take on any project at the food bank.

Taylor Ranch Neighborhood Association. Nominated by the City of Albuquerque Park Management Division for its participation in the Adopt-A-Park Program. The neighborhood association conducts monthly clean-ups at Mariposa Basin Park to combat litter and graffiti issues.

Calvin Tribby. Nominated by Peacecraft, Albuquerque's only Fair Trade retail store whose mission is to assist the poor and disadvantaged through the promotion of fair trade, focusing primarily on the countries of the developing world. Calvin is a UNM graduate student who shares his knowledge of Fair Trade business practices with Peacecraft’s customers and fellow volunteers. In addition, he volunteers at off-site sales and helps maintain the store’s computers.

Kay Veal. Ms. Veal has volunteered at Hospice of the Sandias since 2005. As a Patient Care Volunteer, she exhibits compassion, understanding, patience, and belief in the dignity of every person during the last days of their lives.

John Vogt. Mr. Vogt is 83 years young and volunteers twice a week at Roadrunner Food Bank. He is always smiling and is a true joy to have at the food bank.

Curtis Westley. Nominated by Mano en Mano Thrift Store. Mr. Westley has volunteered an average of 15 hours per week during the past two months helping correct electrical problems at the store. Thanks to his efforts, the thrift store now has electrical outlets for its computer and cash register, and all the heaters are operational. Mr. Westley’s donated time saved the agency approximately $9,000.

Duffy Wooldridge. Nominated by Peacecraft for her outgoing and inclusive nature when interacting with store customers. She is tireless in educating the public about the importance of Fair Trade business practices.

George Wormser. Mr. Wormser volunteers at the Jewish Family Service food pantry every Thursday, having logged in 100+ hours this year. He does a wonderful job of unpacking, weighing and restocking food items. Prior to coming to Albuquerque, he volunteered at Arizona Hospital for 16 years. 


To nominate an outstanding volunteer, contact the MOVE office at 505-767-5815.