At Landis, the fall usually means that the Arboretum community gets together to express our gratitude to all of our volunteers and to recognize two very special volunteers. At this event, we present the Volunteer of the Year Award and the Great Oak Award. But 2020 changed everything. With the safety of our volunteers first and foremost in mind, we have cancelled the annual Volunteer Recognition event. This year’s recipients will receive their certificates by mail and be publicly recognized, along with the 2021 recipients, next year.
Great Oak Award
Sometimes service seems to run in the family. That is certainly the case for the Bevins family. Shawn and Ann began volunteering at the Arboretum over twenty years ago, after moving back into the area from Connecticut. They are regulars at plant sales, Shawn directing traffic, Ann cashiering. It was probably “natural” for their son Terrence to join in at plant sales and otherwise. Terrence and his father have been instrumental in completing the new Peace Garden. With this award, the Bevins family is recognized for many years – and two generations – of service.
Volunteer of the Year Award
Veteran runner David Roy and his S’cary Leg Runners have been involved with the Landis Perennial Forest 5K since its inception 14 years ago. Despite the formidable challenge of planning a competitive race in this year of COVID-19, David remained undaunted. He crafted a plan for a race that could be held safely. His plan included a limited number of participants, online registration, fully chip-timed processing, staged start times for small groups of runners, and other precautionary measures. This year’s race became one of the very few events approved by the regional authorities – and thrilled the race-starved participants.