The Woodford County Health Department would like to congratulate Bonnie and Tim Allen for being named the Illinois Department of Public Health Volunteers of the Year. This award is presented to an exceptional volunteer in the community for their time and effort in assisting local emergency preparedness planning or response efforts. Nominees for this award have made a significant impact in their community by exemplifying the true meaning of volunteerism.

Bonnie and Tim have been Medical Reserve Corps members since 2010 and have provided a great deal of time to Woodford County over the last three years. Bonnie and Tim were nominated for this award, in part, for their efforts in helping in the 2013 Floods affecting their county. They walked door to door to notify Spring Bay home owners of evacuation orders, as well as talking to residents about flood damage in the Woodford County Emergency Management Call Center. In the Call Center they collected information about flood damage and provided resource information to flood victims. Tim and Bonnie also volunteered in a large number of ways thought out the year, including helping to man flu clinics, participating in drill activities and assisting the MRC by learning software called Illinois Helps that credentials volunteers in emergencies.

Bonnie and Tim Allen are outstanding citizens and are able to provide relief efforts through trainings and skills sets offered by the Woodford County MRC. “For anyone wanting to get involved with the community, this is a great way to give back, help the community, and make it a better place,” stated Bonnie Allen.

Also named as Volunteer of the Year Award was MRC volunteer David Deitsch. David is a volunteer from the McLean County Health Department MRC unit. David is a registered nurse and health educator for State Farm Insurance Company, but devotes personal time and resources volunteering for the Boy Scouts and the McLean County Emergency Management Agency Search and Rescue Team.

The Medical Reserve Corps is a national community-based movement that was established in July 2002 in response to the President’s call for Americans to offer volunteer services in their communities. The Corps is designed to recruit, train, and mobilize willing members of the community who have the skills, knowledge, and desire to help others in need during a disaster.

For more information about the MRC, please visit the Woodford County Health Department Website, call at 309-467-3064, or visit the Medical Reserve Corps Website.