Each year Recycling Furniture for Families (“RF4F”) chooses one of its many volunteers as the recipient of the Mark Kelly Volunteer of the Year. This award is a memorial to Mark and is reflective of the countless hours he gave to RF4F in volunteering his time and talents. His family and those of us here at RF4F lost Mark in 2009. We established this annual award in honor of Mark in order to recognize the gift of another volunteer’s time and talent to RF4F.
We’re thrilled to announce and celebrate the 2023 winner of the Mark Kelly Volunteer of the Year Award: Brenda Smith.
A State Farm retiree, Brenda has been volunteering with us 1-2 days every week for years. Despite living with advanced stages of MS, she comes into our office with a smile on her face each time, eager to help with our fundraising efforts like preparing our newsletters for mailing.
Brenda’s experience with RF4F is also socially fulfilling, giving her the opportunity to form relationships with fellow volunteers, like Dawn Shelton, who generously drives her here so they can work and chat in the back office together. On volunteering with RF4F, Brenda shares, “I like that we’re doing something for the community. We take items that some people don’t want anymore and give it to other people for free so they can rebuild their lives. It gives them hope for the future.”