Chris Kuebler

Annual Celebration for Volunteers & Donors

The dedicated volunteers and donors who give of their time, talents and resources are the very lifeblood of our agency. As a nonprofit organization, we depend on the generosity of caring community members to make sure Good Happens Here.

Every year, at our Community of Efforts celebration, we honor several individuals and organizations with public recognition for their efforts. Last week over 100 people attended this event, where four Community and nine Program Awards were given out. A delicious meal, provided by Camp Newaygo’s own Ridge Catering was enjoyed by all, as was live music from Denise Anderson & Company. 

Community Awards this year were given out as follows:
Bessie Slautterback Award for lifetime service – The Dooge Family
Peggie Stone Award for commitment to youth – The Idlewild Community Development Corporation
Community Partner Award for generosity – Community Connections’ Knitting All Together group
Youth in Action Award for youth volunteerism – Ferris State University Honors Program

And the following individuals received 2025 Program Awards:
Camp Newaygo Award – Lindy Colombini
Children’s Services Award – John and Denise Dill  
Community Connections Award – Alice Smith
Cultural Enrichment Award – Carmen Faulkner  
Hunger Prevention Award – Charlotte Campbell  
Out-of-School Time Award – Chadwick Walenga
Spirit of TrueNorth Award – Dawn and Gregg Bourdon
TrueMentors Award – Laura Towne
Volunteer Services Award – Kelly Davis

“We moved from a big city, Nashville, to Fremont. When I did work, I worked with small communities… and  I wanted to work with my community. I see so much here and I want to help keep it moving forward.” – Lindy Colombini

We are grateful to not only these award winners, but also our countless volunteers and donors for their endless support of our organization. A huge congrats to our 2025 winners!