2007  Central Oregon Volunteer of the Year Nominees

Connie Schwing has served on the Commission on Children & Families board for eight years. It is rare to find a volunteer with the dedication, leadership attributes and professionalism that Connie brings to her volunteer work.

Connie is described by many as dedicated, hard working and enthusiastic.   She is passionate about helping children and families. Her hallmark is not only good judgment and professionalism, but her commitment to processes that are ethical, fair and balanced.

During her eight years serving on the Board, Connie has provided leadership in many ways including serving as Vice Chair of the Commission, member of the Commission Executive Committee and Chair of the Community Justice Work Group where she sought innovative and effective ways to reduce juvenile crime within the County.

Connie currently chairs the Program Committee, leading a diverse group made up of Commission members, agency members and community citizens through the difficult work of establishing criteria for allocation of funds. She is very vocal about spending CCF limited resources on evidence based practices and making sure that the department’s tax dollars are being spent wisely.

The Commission has been very fortunate to have Connie serving as a board member for nearly eight years.  She loves this community and is passionate about making it a livable and safe place for all children and families. Connie has put her passion to work toward making a meaningful difference for others.

“I have learned a great deal from Connie and it has been truly a privilege to serve with her on the Commission board.  Our community is a better place because of her dedication and commitment to our children,” said Deschutes County Commissioner Tammy Baney.

Janet Westmoreland is an active and valued parent volunteer in several Redmond Schools. She currently serves as the Parent and Community Volunteer Coordinator for Redmond High School.  She understands the dynamics of civic responsibility and community involvement. Unlike many people who are self-absorbed in their private lives, Janet is there to help local youth anytime, anywhere.

Janet has volunteered at Redmond High chaperoning dances, staffing concession booths at various sporting events, raising funds for the Sparrow Club, and she’s assisted with special projects in the administration office.  She continues to volunteer in elementary schools, this being her third year as a SMART reader. She also volunteers for the Family Access Network (FAN) program at John Tuck Elementary and Redmond High.

Janet is currently working on a major project with Think Again ParentS (TAPS) developing a Party Safe Homes initiative for the Redmond community. This program encourages parents to pledge to keep their children’s get-togethers and parties alcohol and drug free. This project has taken hours of Janet’s personal time, multiple driving miles to area businesses recruiting support, trying to mobilize community efforts to reduce substance abuse in Redmond. It is difficult to imagine strangers being accountable to one another, but this initiative will bring back the “neighbor” in our neighborhoods.

“Janet’s latest endeavor involves the creation of party safe homes for students.  As a parent of three male teenagers, this is a huge initiative that will form lasting relationships between parents, community members and students,” said Redmond School Board Director Cathy Miller.