Vanessa Behan nursery honors helpers, benefactors
On Tuesday night, Spokane’s Vanessa Behan Crisis Nursery handed out numerous volunteer, staff and community awards at its annual dinner.
The Bill Bialkowsky Founder’s Award – which goes to individuals who’ve dedicated many years of their lives to the children of the crisis nursery – went to Teresa Venne, who has volunteered for 12 years.
Amy Swanson, executive director of the nursery, said one boy has “very high needs, which can make it difficult for us to care for him. But (Venne) asked for us to call her anytime he comes in – she’s matched up with him.”
Volunteer awards are given to supporters who have shown unwavering loyalty to the nursery in various ways, either by working with the children, fundraising or creating community awareness.
The Traditional Child Care Volunteer award went to Gordon and Sue Jackson. The Certified House Parent award went to sisters Angela Hill and Jessie Davis, and the Youth Volunteer award went to Hannah Kimball.
The Helping Hand award – which is given for service outside of child care – went to Karen Utheim.
“She’s a past board member of the nursery and for the past seven years she’s come in and sorted through donations,” Swanson said. “She keeps the donation side completely up-to-date and whatever we don’t use here, she loads up her van and takes it to other agencies that can use the donations.”
Spokesman-Review Editor Steven A. Smith received the Child Advocate of the Year award for his work on the newspaper’s “Our Kids: Our Business” project, which dedicated front-page space for a child-related story every day in April.
Ruth Kuder, Cheryl Mitchem and Carol Tarr received Silver Star awards, which are given to volunteers who have been with the nursery for five years.
The Corporate Heart of Gold award, for businesses, was given to Frontline Maintenance, Banner Furnace and Fuel, Carlson Sheet Metal, Habel Consulting Inc., Sacred Heart Medical Center Employee Health Clinic, Kim Hotstart Manufacturing Co., Vehrs Inc., Next IT/A Perfect Web and SMK Service Inc.
Benefactor Awards, for donors, went to Stan and Melissa Drum, Denise Garceau, Tom and Colleen Tracy, Tune Tech, UBS Financial Services, Susan Allen, James and Elizabeth Brasch, Rolly and Joyce Bunn, Dan and Darci Monson, Drs. Douglas and Carol Wysham, URM Stores Inc. and Vandervert Construction Inc.
Robert Gayda received the Funding Development Board Member of the Year award, for his outstanding fundraising efforts and leadership.
The Media Award went to Radio Spokane (formerly Citadel Communications) for a donation of on-air advertising and for making a special appearance happen at the nursery, Swanson said. “They had Jason Michael Carroll, he’s a country music star, come up to the nursery for a live performance – that was just one of the many things the station did for us last year,” she said.
The Collaboration for Kids award, which is given to an organization that has committed to partnering with the nursery to generate $50,000 or more in funding, went to KHQ-TV.
“For the last 10 years they have done a telethon for us on a Saturday in October,” Swanson said. “Over the past 10 years that has raised $223,896, which has provided more than 60,000 hours of care for the children at the nursery.”