Sedona AZ (November 21, 2019) – On November 10, The Sedona Chamber of Commerce & Tourism Bureau (SCC&TB) hosted it annual volunteer appreciation event at the Poco Diablo Resort, honoring the Chamber’s extraordinary team of volunteers.
“We are grateful for all our volunteers, which include our 14-member Board of Directors, more than 80 Visitor Center assistants, mixer volunteers and ambassadors,” said SCC&TB President and CEO Jennifer Wesselhoff. “In fiscal year 2019, SCC&TB volunteers donated 10,463 hours to Chamber activities, valued at $258,000. But, the true measure of their contribution is their amazing service to our visitors and the community.”
Volunteers were treated to brunch, gifts donated from Chamber partners and awards of recognition.
Volunteers of the Year: Carole and Wade Bell
Highly trained and knowledgeable, Carole and Wade spent 401 hours at the Visitor Center in FY19, answering questions on everything from the weather to shopping, with Carole offering French and Italian language skills when needed. The couple attend monthly Chamber mixers to learn more about merchant activities, keeping their visitor advice up to date. They assist with Chamber recruitment tours for prospective businesses – helping arrange site inspections, meetings with local leaders, and organizing downtime activities.
Like many Chamber volunteers, Wade and Carole are active around Sedona. They volunteer at the Film Festival in the VIP Room and as theater crew. Wade volunteers at the MDF, ushering and working concessions. They are five-year volunteers with the Sedona Winefest.
Incredibly, they do even more. Wade is a SCORE volunteer, Carole is an ordained Interfaith minister, and the couple lead a weekly hiking group. Together, they even do restaurant reviews for Sedona Art Source magazine.
Carole and Wade have been married for 40 years, have 3 grown children and have lived in Sedona for 7 years.
Individual Recognition: Carol Shannon, Harper Imler and Bob Jensen were honored for their combined 56 years of service, and Bob received congratulations from all for his recent 100th birthday.
Most Volunteer Hours: Dick Youngberg devoted more time than any other volunteer in FY19 with 414 hours, followed by Ron Slyter (391) and Gary Kincaid (379).
Volunteer Service Pins: Gary Kincaid also received a five-year service pin, as did Sandy Immerso and Belinda Calloway.
Kristen Brown and Sharon Madison were recognized with pins for 15 years of volunteer service, and Becky Anderson received a ten-year service pin.
“We are in awe of the talent and dedication of our volunteers,” Wesselhoff added. “Thanks to their commitment, we continually improve our tourism management and business development efforts. We simply could not do it without them.”