Recognizing local humanitarians

At least five Onslow County organizations can attest to the power of volunteers — they have the top ones in the county.

Carline Kniskern, Ted Palmer, William Sidberry, Pamela Thomas and Jacob Yaneiro each received the 2009 North Carolina Award for Outstanding Volunteer Service. The recognition included a letter from Gov. Beverly Perdue and a pin presented during a Tuesday morning appreciation breakfast held in their honor at Jacksonville Country Club.

Sandra Wyrick, the executive director of Onslow Community Outreach, and Don Herring, the director of student services at Coastal Carolina Community College, presented the awards.

The awards program, now in its 31st year, showcases North Carolina’s most dedicated volunteers. Each county in North Carolina, through a nomination process, selects five individuals, businesses and/or groups that make a significant contribution to the community through volunteerism.

Kniskern, nominated by Toni O’Neil, the director of Possumwood Acres Wildlife Sanctuary, coordinates all groups’ activities.

O’Neil described Kniskern as “phenomenal,” adding that it is not the only organization she volunteers time to.

“To have a volunteer like her is a blessing … She is what makes all our volunteers special,” O’Neil said pointing out as of May 14, Kniskern had logged in 1,325 hours of volunteer time at Possumwood.

Jacksonville Police Chief Mike Yaneiro accepted on behalf of his son, who is currently a student at Appalachian State University. Jacob Yaneiro was nominated for heading up the 5k run/1 mile walk that raised $1,550 for Onslow County Partnership for Children.

As president of the White Oak National Honor Society, he contacted the partnership with his fundraising idea, presented a proposal and, with the help of club members, organized every aspect of the benefit from coordination to marketing, Wyrick explained.

“This will go down in history as the first official fundraiser for the Child Advocacy Center,” she said.

Parmer has been a volunteer soup truck driver in Richlands for Onslow Community Outreach Soup Kitchen for 13 years.

Currently undergoing treatments for cancer, Parmer has been unable to volunteer for a few weeks and said he has been missing the people he has come to know.

“I am just waiting to get (the treatments) over with so I can get back to volunteering … I’m a people person and I have enjoyed the contact and getting to know the people in the community,” he said.

Thomas, a member of the Onslow County Board of Education for the past five years, has also volunteered her time to many other educational efforts including Head Start and More at Four. In addition she has been an Elementary Academic Derby moderator and served on the board of SAT, Inc.

Thomas said the award was “humbling.”

“There are so many more people much more deserving than I am, and I sincerely mean that,” she said.

Sidberry not only received the N.C. Award for Outstanding Volunteer Service, he also recently received The Governor’s Medallion Award for Volunteer Service, which is presented to the top 20 volunteers in the state.  He has been a Guardian ad Litem volunteer for more than 13 years.

Sidberry said he has always enjoyed being a volunteer and said he began volunteering at age 19.

“I have been around so long my emotions, I guess, don’t rise up to occasions such as this,” he said.

“My wife is also a volunteer at Onslow Memorial Hospital at the gift shop; she probably has more volunteer hours than I do,” he added.

Contact Suzanne Ulbrich at 910-219-8454 or sulbrich@freedomenc.com.