Nevada’s 150 Points of Light!

Each year, Nevada Volunteers recognizes “Points of Light” throughout our state – individuals and organizations who, through their dedicated efforts, shine the “Light” of volunteerism and brighten the lives of others. This year, Nevada Volunteers will honor 150 years worth of “Points of Light” in conjunction with the Governor’s Points of Lights Awards and the Silver State’s 150th birthday, by recognizing 150 Points of Light throughout our great state.

Please join us in recognizing…

            • Patricia Martin, a native Nevadan, retired to Lamoille, Nevada after having lived in other states for many years. In true retirement fashion, she immediately engaged in getting to know her community. Her involvement has led to her being an active member of the Lamoille Women’s Club taking a leadership role in the country fair lemonade stands and the fall soup fundraiser to only name a few of her roles. Not having enough to do in retirement, she now volunteers for multiple shifts at the Lamoille Post Office to help keep that community service open for her Nevada town. In all her efforts she engages her kids and grand kids, building an ethic of service for future Nevadans too.
          • Amelia Black is an amazing volunteer that helps in our community in so many ways. For several years she has helped Hispanic children in our community with tutoring at our local schools. She also took on this task through her church group when several families indicated their children needed help with homework and they were not able to understand the language. She speaks Spanish fluently and has been able to develop relationships with many of the Hispanic children. This past year she also volunteered in a classroom at the Elementary School helping children that need additional time to understand and learn because of the language barriers. Amelia does volunteer work for many organizations in our community in addition to her work with the Hispanic children. She has volunteered with the Tahoe Institute for Natural Science, the Parasol Tahoe Community Foundation and at her local church. If something needs to be done, Amelia is always willing to be there to help, she is a Point of Light for so many in our community.
    • The Lamoille Women’s Club (LWC) consisting of approximately 50 members is a non-profit ladies club located in rural Northeastern Nevada. The LWC ladies volunteer thousands of hours each year supporting several community programs such as the local shelter for abused women, the Family Resource Center, scholarships for graduating seniors, the Veterans, the homeless, the local fire department, hospice, school music groups, Indian arts, and food for the needy. The LWC is responsible for creating a park in Lamoille, and establishing street names and house numbers for residents providing direction to First Responders. The LWC actively hold fundraisers to raise money to support these many community projects in addition to their many volunteer hours.
    • Eloiza Martinez: As retired V.P of Wells Fargo, Eloiza has proven herself to be of extreme value by continuing with her involvement with various organizations that help the community. She has been a long time advocate to the LCCF and Habitat for Humanity where she volunteers most of her time helping those achieve the American dream of higher education, business achievement, and home ownership. Her efforts are endless, selfless, and genuine. Her passion is contagious and helps others become motivated to becoming successful.
    • Joyce Patterson is the person who always steps in to help, whether it is a friend who needs a garage cleaned, the church that requests someone to organize the refreshments, the Food Bank’s need for reliable people to hand out food at their service locations, or the player the softball team looks to for coordinating all the arrangements for out-of-town tournaments. Those are but a few examples–Joyce demonstrates generosity and service every day by giving of her time, her leadership, and her caring–and has for the 30 years that I have known her, not only to her friends and family, but to the community as well. She is truly a Point of Light!
    • Priscilla Martin works 7 days a week providing a daily newspaper to the people of Hawthorne and has done so for over 40 years. On top of that, her involvement with the Soroptimists has allowed her to lead by example and provide numerous services to the less fortunate in Hawthorne. And finally, Priscilla has “adopted” several elderly people (usually younger than her…) and provides them with meals, assistance with living, and companionship when hospitalized. She truly has shown her community how volunteerism works.
    • Pat Kleames: No one knows about litter, than retired Reno Firefighter, Pat Kleames, who has made it his mission to clean up the Truckee River, which flows through the heart of Reno and Sparks, NV. For the past six years, Pat has made it his mission to clean up more than 200 abandoned homeless camps buried near the river’s banks. Pat often works with the Washoe County Sheriff’s Crew to remove truckloads of trash from the banks and within the Truckee River. The river might look much different with a great deal of more trash if it were not for Pat and the Sheriff’s crew. His motivation for doing it is simple. He loves this place, “we try to keep it clean for the kids. I want my grandkids to be able to play down here without stepping on a needle,” said by Pat. Pat also serves as a volunteer Project Leader for Keep Truckee Meadows Beautiful’s Truckee River Cleanup Day in the fall and Great Community Cleanup in the spring. He helps to fix tools, haul supplies and trash, and just about anything!

For more information on how you can recognize your own Point of Light in your life, click here.

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