Local MRC members provided more than $75,000 worth of volunteer service in a year’s time, based on Points of Light Foundation calculations. Volunteers, community partners and regional and state representatives gathered to recognize and celebrate the contributions made.

Gary Brown, regional MRC coordinator, and Evan Knight, Nebraska MRC coordinator, thanked the volunteers for their efforts. The following agencies received Community Partner Awards from the Eastern Nebraska-Western Iowa MRC: Creighton University, Douglas County Emergency Management, Douglas County Health Department, American Red Cross-Heartland Chapter, MS Society of Nebraska, Nebraska Methodist Hospital, Omaha Metropolitan Medical Response System (OMMRS), Sarpy County Health Department, Sarpy County Emergency Management, and UNMC HEROES program.

Bonnie Riley and Alane Jespersen received "Above and Beyond" Awards at the MRC thank you celebration. Bonnie received the award for volunteering the most hours in 2009, 86 hours total. Alane was honored for helping with the largest number of events, 13 in all.

Creighton University’s Gospel Choir performed at the event. The following organizations sponsored the event: Sarpy County Health Department, Creighton University, Nebraska Citizen Corps, United Way of the Midlands, MS Society of Nebraska and Nebraska Methodist Hospital.

OTHER INDIVIDUAL AND GROUP MRC AWARDS IN RECENT MONTHS:

Volunteer Linda Ohri received the Lt. Governors Citizen Corps "Volunteer of the Year Award" and a Governor’s Points of Light Award for her immunization work and her efforts during the H1N1 vaccination clinics last fall and winter. Linda assisted at a number of H1N1 clinics and recruited several other Creighton University pharmacy faculty and students to assist. In addition, she developed a screening tool for volunteers to use that helped speed up the process.

The Eastern Nebraska/Western Iowa MRC also received a Governor’s Points of Light Award for the work the entire unit did during the H1N1 mass vaccination effort. 115 MRC volunteers from a number of disciplines assisted three different Health Departments (Douglas County, Sarpy County and Three Rivers) in providing vaccinations. Volunteers helped in screening, vaccinating, filling syringes, monitoring post-vaccination clients, helping with paperwork, helping with crowd control, providing behavioral health assistance and identifying clinic clients with special health issues. MRC volunteers provided over 1,000 hours at 35 clinics, at which more than 50,000 people were immunized.

Among the events the local MRC team will participate in during 2011: community disaster exercises in April and August, and the first aid stations at the College World Series in June.

MRC units engage medical, public health and other civilian volunteers to strengthen local efforts in public health, emergency preparedness and response. They are community-based and serve under the command of the U.S. Surgeon General. There are currently 558 members of the Eastern Nebraska-Western Iowa Medical Reserve Corps, which is coordinated by United Way of the Midlands.