August Volunteer of the Month: Roxanne Nelson

ACTION:  What has your nominee done or is currently doing?

Roxanne coordinated clean-up efforts for the Floral Building and other areas of the Ionia Free Fair after the spring flooding that hit Ionia County.  She recruited other Ionia County Residents including fair supporters, 4-H Volunteers, and neighbors to assist with power washing buildings to remove several layers of mud and debris that was deposited by the river.

Not only has she spearheaded clean-up efforts but she also is one of the leaders for Antique Village and the Ladies Day Program at the Fair.  And her volunteer commitments do not stop with the Ionia Free Fair!  Rockie (as she is known by her friends) also is part of the Bertha Brock Fall Festival Committee, and supports the efforts of the Ionia Kids Club, Community Food Network, The Ionia High School Band Boosters (and her grandson!) by donating her time and resources to special events, projects, and service days.

NEED:  What community need(s) does your nominee address?

Addressing community needs is a perfect description for Roxanne does and how she is viewed as a community leader!  She sees a need or a gap that no one else is filling and she jumps in with both feet bringing her family along for the ride. 

Roxanne joined the Antique Village committee two years ago and has been a valuable member since day one.  She contacts our demonstrators and musicians as well as does all of our publicity.  A lot of work done in a cheerful manner.  She combines getting the demonstrators and musicians with getting them for Fall Fest at the same time.  Roxanne gathers the information from the Heritage Family and creates the article for the paper from that info as well as the book for the table during fair.  She writes the articles for the paper and the announcements to be used during fair.  Roxanne is in the village every day of fair as well as for set-up and tear down.  We really value her commitment to the Antique Village committee. 

A couple of years ago the Ladies Day program was in jeopardy because no one would step up to lead the effort.  Roxanne decided to become the leader and the program continues today because of her.  She works hard with the Ladies Day committee to secure the program as well as the door prizes.  She coordinates the process for choosing the Woman of the Year.  She has proven to be a fun loving and organized leader for Ladies Day at the Fair.

As a supporter of Bertha Brock Park for several years, Roxanne added new life to the Fall Fest Committee when she began organizing the many crafters and demonstrators.  Fall Fest was re-established by volunteers who wanted to show off the park as it was in the early days with lots of visitors and events.  Each member of the Committee has taken charge of a specific area of the park and works to fill it with community based activities on the 3rd Saturday of September.  Roxanne's connections with 4-H, local farmers, and craft groups has brought back the element of county to the park.  She recruits volunteers to bring in animals, set up educational crafting displays, and entertainment.  As a member of the Committee she is also there to greet the first arrivals of the day and thank the last to leave at the end.

Ionia Kids Club has enjoyed the generosity of the Nelson Family as the host the Fall Party every other year.  This includes setting up a bon fire, hayride, and other fun activities for the teens who work on so many volunteer service projects throughout the year.  This is Rockie's way of saying Thank You to Kids Club Members for service throughout the year.

IMPACT:  What is different as a result of your nominee’s service?

Many of the Committees and Organizations supported by Roxanne are still around due to the countless hours of work she puts into planning, organizing, and promoting events.  Although she often gets recruited to provide decorations for banquets, weddings, and parties, most of what Roxanne volunteers at are FREE community based events designed to build friendships through participation.  Roxanne wants Ionia County to be a place where everyone can join in the activities, learn new skills, and enjoy some of the history that is quickly fading away.  Her dedication and enthusiasm has pushed many committees and community volunteers into continued service making it possible for families to enjoy free events throughout the community.  Roxanne's humor and kindness are a welcome addition to all the projects and volunteer groups she is involved in!

Supporting this nomination:

Rockie was nominated for Volunteer of the Month by Bonnie Ferguson, friend of WION Radio and supported by Karen Merchant and Amy Buckingham from the Ionia County Peace Community. Several members of the Volunteer of the Month Committee have also been involved with many of the projects listed above. Here are a few quotes from those supporting this nomination:

“When Rockie takes on a task, she works to do it to perfection!! Her perfection isn’t limited to the projects she does, though. Maybe even more important is that it includes the “task” of being kind and caring. Rockie makes the world better for what she does AND who she is.” Amy Buckingham, Cherry Street Health Services

"Rockie is always willing to lend a hand...just don't ask her to taste test for you! LOL One of my first experiences with Rockie was during the first WION Food Drive when Auto Correct was not my friend and changed a simple email reply to something grossly inappropriate in most settings. Rockie could have taken my reply as very unprofessional, but realizing there must be an error, she simply replied in matter that caused me to re-read my message to see what horrible thing I had sent. Every since then, Rockie and I have been great friends and I can always count on Rockie to make Snickerdoodles for Volunteers whenever there is a need. (Anyone who knows me knows how much I love Dogs...but if I ever send you an email talking about Sicker Poodles, please forgive me!) Penny Beeman, United Way Montcalm-Ionia

"I think Rockie is a fantastic person, everytime I see her she is so busy helping out with some kind of community event. She tries to help anyone who has an unmet need." Alexandra Lask, Ionia Kids Club

"Rockie works tirelessly to help others and her pride in her town shows through her donations of time, talent, and materials to the many organizations to which she lends her help! Our community is bettered by her commitment to helping others!" Jim Carlyle, WION Radio