These volunteers are being recognized for their contributions to the Centre County community

Editor’s note: Each year, the Centre County Council for Human Services honors volunteers who work to further the mission of CCCHS’ member agencies. The Rose Cologne Volunteer Recognition is named after the first recipient of the Volunteer of the Year Award.

According to Oxford Languages, a volunteer is “a person who freely offers to take part in an enterprise or undertake a task.” If we reflect back on history, successful business models and noteworthy causes, its likely volunteers were leading the charge in some way. It’s because those individuals chose to undertake a task because they felt passionate about the cause and believed they could make a difference.

Volunteers who have given their time and talents to the human service organizations of Centre County are no exception. Without a doubt, the volunteers who willingly and consistently “show up” for our organizations have helped our community members in countless ways. Because of the work of volunteers, our neighbors in Centre County have been able to access food, housing and health care when they needed it most. They have helped social entrepreneurship blossom in our area and have provided valuable resources to our community from birth to end-of-life care.

At the Centre County Council for Human Services, we are honored to carry out the tradition of the Rose Cologne Volunteer Recognition event. We understand the value of volunteer hours and we are proud to be part of a community with such dedicated volunteers. Thank you!

Melissa Bottorf, CCCHS president

Tom Newby

Agency: Housing Transitions

Length of service: 1 year

Roles: General maintenance, emergency maintenance, holiday decor, moving services

Reason for volunteering: “My wife and I have always had a passion for helping others and I saw a need at Housing Transitions that matched my skill set. Their agency helps our community immensely and I am proud to help them make this happen.”

Clifford Wurster

Agency: Liberty Lutheran/Village at Penn State

Length of service: 8 years

Roles: Cliff has been active as a resident volunteer at The Village. He served on the Residents’ Council, holding the office of president during the pandemic. He arranges for and serves communion to all denominations of residents at The Village. Cliff can often be seen delivering packages for other residents. He also collects stars from old American flags to donate them to A Soldier’s Hands nonprofit. He is a member and past president of the Sunrise Rotary Club and actively participates in the International Exchange Program. He is also an active supporter of the poinsettia fundraiser.

Reason for volunteering: “I’m humbled to be recognized as a Rose Cologne volunteer representing The Village. Good parenting taught me the value of helping and supporting friends and neighbors, a practice that served me well during my career. In retirement, I remain active in church outreach and Rotarian service.”

Lori Lamb

Agency: State College Food Bank

Length of service: Approaching nine years.

Roles: Client services — all roles, specifically intake; client prep and food sorting; special events and food drives; produce market volunteer

Reason for volunteering: “Volunteering at the Food Bank is the highlight of my week. Being a part of the Food Bank’s mission is what I am most proud of. Seeing a client smile, giving of a hug or a simple thank you makes the job that much more rewarding.”

Janet Baker

Agency: State College Area Meals on Wheels

Length of service: 6 years

Roles: Jan has been a meal line worker, day manager, dishwasher, volunteer coordinator, board recording secretary, office support and all around huge help!

Reason for volunteering: “I feel privileged to be part of this communitywide effort and I am thankful to know all the wonderful clients, staff and volunteers of State College Area Meals on Wheels!”

Greg Ferro

Agency: Constitution Day Centre Inc.

Length of service: 5 years

Roles: Board member, keynote speaker, panel moderator, innovator

Reason for volunteering: “The U.S. Constitution is our secular bible and America’s rule book! The Constitution Day programs gave me many opportunities to talk about these essential elements of democracy. Founder James Madison said, ‘If men were angels, we would not need a Constitution.’ ”

Janet Irons

Agency: Centre County Chapter of the PA Prison Society

Length of service: 12 years

Roles: Co-convener of the chapter and coordinator of the visits at the State Correctional Institution at Benner Township. She has also maintained relationships with families of inmates.

Reason for volunteering: “It’s been a pleasure to join with many Centre County volunteers who are visiting our state and county prisons. There is much work to be done to make our jails and prisons more humane.”

Vasundara Varadan

Agency: American Association of University Women State College Branch (AAUW)

Length of service: 28 years

Roles: Treasurer, STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) Committee, Finance Committee, Used Book Sale Committee

Reason for volunteering: ”I draw inspiration from my hardworking fellow AAUW volunteers.”

Jhoselyn Contreras

Agency: Tides Inc.

Length of service: 8 months

Roles: Jhoselyn helps facilitate peer support groups at Tides Nights and school-based programming. Her primary role is translating for our Spanish-speaking participants. Jhoselyn has also supported Tides by volunteering at events.

Reason for volunteering: “Grief hits home to many Tides volunteers. I first experienced grief at age 14 when my dad passed away suddenly. I’m passionate about making amazing resources like Tides accessible to Spanish-speaking individuals. This is why when I heard about Tides I jumped at the opportunity to volunteer.”

Betse Esber

Agency: Mid-State Literacy Council Inc.

Length of service: 4 years

Roles: Teacher, curricula developer

Reason for volunteering: “It seems that my purpose in life has been to help others learn new skills, specifically English as an additional language. The Literacy Council provides me with the opportunity to continue to fulfill my passion for language teaching in a safe and supportive environment. This volunteer experience enriches my life.”

Carlos de la Torre

Agency: Centre County Youth Service Bureau

Length of service: 3 years

Roles: Father Carlos collaboratively created a shared summer garden with his congregation and the youth at our center, organized a Shrove Tuesday pancake supper fundraiser to help raise money, and provides space for staff for training and events within the church hall.

Reason for volunteering: “I and Saint John’s Episcopal Church are privileged to work alongside YSB’s Bellefonte Youth Center. Our collaborative efforts began three years ago when we launched a summer garden. I wholeheartedly believe in the center’s work because I have seen their impact on the lives of youth.”

Jay Hummer

Agency: State College Community Land Trust

Length of service: More than 7 years

Roles: Jay has been a member of the board of directors, treasurer and chair of the Finance Committee since January 2016.

Reason for volunteering: ”In my lending work, I noticed homeownership was almost impossible for modest incomes here. A diverse community of residents is worth preserving and growing. When I learned how SCCLT creates permanently affordable homeownership opportunities, I wanted to be a part of it. I’m fortunate to work with this group.”

Rocky Landers

Agency: Park Forest Preschool

Length of service: 9 years

Roles: Rocky began volunteering in the classrooms of Park Forest Preschool in 2014. The children enjoy her positivity, energy and support. The teachers appreciate her willingness to engage with the children and how she becomes absorbed in the classroom activities. Rocky became a member of our board of directors in 2020, where she is a co-chair of the Fundraising and Grant Writing Committee and sits on the Publicity and Outreach Committee.

Reason for volunteering: ”I really enjoy spending time with young children as well as the dedicated staff that support them. I am committed to the preschool’s vision that every child has access to a high quality, positive early childhood educational experience including those from low-income families.”

John LaCorte

Agency: Interfaith Human Services Inc.

Length of service: 9 months

Roles: John LaCorte’s dedication to service of 40 years in the Air Force and as a meteorologist is a testament to not only his integrity, but also his natural gift of exemplary communication skills. His decision to pursue a meaningful volunteer opportunity in the public service area has been a blessing to Interfaith Human Services. Since July 2022, John has been fielding calls at our front desk, delivering messages with a smile, and always brightening our day with his sunny disposition, regardless of rain, sleet or anything in between. He is a weatherman, after all!

Reason for volunteering: “I didn’t know much about IHS when I started, but quickly grew to appreciate the mission and the dedication of the staff to helping people who truly need it. It gives me a sense of purpose and a feeling I am giving back in at least a small way.”

Leigh Tinik

Agency: Bridge of Hope Centre County

Length of service: 8 years

Roles: Neighboring volunteer, board member, secretary

Reason for volunteering: “Everyone deserves a place to call home.”

Marty Mehring

Agency: Central PA SCORE

Length of service: 5 years

Roles: Chapter chair, chapter manager, mentor

Reason for volunteering: “I am humbled and blessed to receive this recognition but do so only on behalf of the wonderful men and women who are members of our local SCORE chapter. SCORE has provided a purpose in my life and the opportunity not only to lead this organization but more importantly to help small businesses.”

Arnold “Arnie” Rosenshine

Agency: Centre Volunteers in Medicine

Length of service: 2 years

Roles: IT projects/data entry lead

Reason for volunteering: “CVIM provided my COVID-19 vaccination. Shortly after, I joined its data entry team processing thousands of vaccination records. Now I’m helping with IT projects, and marvel at what CVIM accomplishes every day. I’m honored to accept this recognition on behalf of CVIM’s data entry/IT team.”

Linda Goncalves

Agency: Foxdale Village

Length of service: 2 years

Roles: Linda hand-paints monthly greeting cards for Foxdale residents with hand written notes included. She also meets with residents and writes down their stories and poems so they can be included in Foxdale’s literary publication.

Reason for volunteering: ”In May of 2020, Covid was in full force and there was no vaccine. Living in Foxdale Village, I painted cards for friends and family. I asked Jeannine Shade, life enrichment supervisor, whether she knew of people who would like to receive cards. Happily for me, she said yes.”

Judson Mantz

Agency: Jana Marie Foundation

Length of service: 5 years

Roles: Videographer, performer and all around great friend of Jana Marie Foundation

Reason for volunteering: “I really enjoy helping Jana Marie Foundation in any way I can. They make a huge difference in our community and in the lives of others. The people that work and volunteer for the Jana Marie Foundation do so out of love and to make our community a better place.”

Jay Aubuchon

Agency: Out of the Cold: Centre County

Length of service: 1.5 years

Roles: Jay is the best all-around maintenance man! He is always a call away and makes himself available to help around the shelter. Our shelter would not run as smoothly as it does without him there. Also, Jay is great with our guests and is always willing to teach others his skills.

Reason for volunteering: “We have a personal connection to homelessness as we have a nephew who has been homeless off and on throughout his life. Also, there is a good match between my skills and needs at OOTC; and it gives me a strong sense of purpose.”

Eric Brinser

Agency: Juniper Village at Brookline

Length of service: 1 year

Roles: Eric has been instrumental in facilitating our Broadway Senior program at Juniper. He runs musical rehearsal with residents, meets with them individually, music directs our programs, creates recordings of the songs for residents to listen to, donates time, energy and resources, lets Juniper borrow materials (props, platforms, music stands) to aid in the success of our shows, and serves as a coach to encourage residents in life and the shows.

Reason for volunteering: ”I volunteered to assist with the Broadway Senior program because I love being able to share and create a love of theater with any group that I can. Having met and worked with these performers, I can’t imagine not spending time with them and watching them achieve great things!”

Ryan Biskowitz and Moe Kawasaki

Agency: Centre Helps

Length of service: Ryan: 1 year; Moe: 2 years

Roles: Hotline volunteer, on the job trainer, PSU Centre Helps Club

Reason for volunteering: Moe: “I wanted to provide support and give back to the community that helped me learn and grow into the individual that I am today.” Ryan: “Centre Helps was an opportunity to dedicate my time to helping those within the community and to support those who really need it the most.”

John Keeler and John DeHaas

Agency: FaithCentre

Length of service: 10 years/5 years

Roles: Both have worked as a team for years in the FaithCentre Food Bank, bagging food for distribution, assisting clients, helping during food drives and unloading food deliveries

Reason for volunteering: Both say they are committed to helping others and serving their community.

Julia Neely

Agency: ACRES Project

Length of service: 18 months

Roles: Julia came to us through an internship with Human Development and Family Studies. She worked where ever needed. Julia worked with students from Life Link through our paid work experience program. She became a job coach for several high school students. She helped us develop, prepare and support our two large fundraisers, Summer of Love Concert and the Amazing Race. Julia also works with two nonverbal individuals in our greenhouse and aquaponics system. Julia helped set up and implement our gardening and growing group over the summer of 2022. This group thrives due to her input.

Reason for volunteering: ”When I started at ACRES I was immediately part of a community. I love being at ACRES because the work I do is meaningful and the people I work with are awesome. I feel accepted and pushed to succeed every day at work in the schools and directly with individuals.”

Richard Marboe

Agency: Centre Region Parks and Recreation

Length of service: 29 years

Roles: Dr. Marboe’s dedication and contributions to our local parks and the Millbrook Marsh Nature Center are remarkable. While serving on the Centre Region Parks and Recreation Authority (1994-2004, 6 years as chair) and the Millbrook Marsh Nature Center Advisory Committee (1998-current; chair or vice chair 1998-2012; 2021-present), he has and continues to advise on park policies, amenities and programs, and assists with facility planning and fundraising. We thank Dr. Marboe for his incredible service to the Centre Region Parks and Recreation Authority, to provide great community parks, programs and recreational facilities; it is appreciated.

Reason for volunteering: “It’s been a privilege to serve the Centre Region’s active and passive recreational, and environmental education needs over the years. I am proud of my contributions to sports field additions, pool renovations, and creation and development of MMNC. It succeeds through the teamwork of dedicated partner groups and incredible staff.”

Chris Murphy

Agency: Strawberry Fields Inc.-Scraps and Skeins

Length of service: More than eight years

Roles: Manages the yarn corner of the shop, overseeing the prepping and displaying of yarn donations. She is on call for all yarn questions. Chris is a cheerleader, mentor and coach for Scraps and Skeins employees and is an encouraging presence for other volunteers. She leads the shop’s recycling program. She also helps with Sip ‘N Stitch, a community outreach collaboration between Scraps and Skeins and Strawberry Fields’ other social enterprise business, Good Day Cafe.