SierraScape April - May 2008
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compiled by Caroline Pufalt
Member at Large, Executive Committee

There is lots of fun involved in volunteering with the Sierra Club, high among them the chance to recognize and thank some of our hard working volunteers. These folks do their "work for the club" with enthusiasm and generosity-so maybe it's not really work. Regardless, the fruits of their efforts are greatly appreciated. This year the Eastern Missouri group recognized the following four volunteers.

Jack Peterson: Lifetime Lemonade Award

Our own Jack Peterson has achieved a fine honor in becoming, perhaps for the first time anywhere in the world or at any time in world history (!), the recipient of a "Lifetime Lemonade Award". Whether or not it is a world record, and kidding aside, it is for us in the Sierra Club, a first and a big deal.

For fifteen years Jack has been a steadfast, unassuming, ever present and ever cheerful stalwart of the Lemonade Brigade. Moving on from a career in aerospace engineering, Jack transitioned seamlessly into a new (decidedly less uppity), but again challenging and meaningful endeavor. For fifteen years, Jack has always been there for our fundraising events. 6AM set-up start? No problem. 12 Midnight or even later stuff in the warehouse at festival's end? No problem. Three straight sales days at the old Fair Saint Louis? Again, no problem. Sell, squeeze, ice, mix, tidy-up the booth (his personal specialty), whatever is needed gets done by Jack.

The Eastern Missouri Group admittedly has a quirky way of funding conservation through lemonade, but it works. Owing to the efforts of countless volunteers epitomized always by Jack, and after several fun-and occasionally trying-events a year, ample bucks are raised.

Thanks Lemonade Brigade. Thanks Jack.

Gloria Broderick: Volunteer Par Excellence

Both behind the scenes and as the public face of the Sierra Club, Gloria has served the Eastern Mo Group of the Sierra Club well for many years. Diversity is another word that applies well to Gloria's volunteer work.

Gloria served as our merchandise "guru" for several years, making sure the group had enough calendars and such. She has been a cheerful public face for the club in the many hours she spent at public events managing the membership, information and sales table for the group. Each time she made a special effort to have a well supplied and attractive display, then adding the essential ingredient of her personality to greet and invite those who passed by to sample a bit of the club. The group receives a lot of invitations to "table" at public events. While this may seem like a low key activity, it is a way for us to reach out. Members like Gloria, who so reliably volunteer to help, ensure that we can present a pleasant public face to the community.

Gloria also has an interest in more direct conservation work. Most recently she has advocated within her city of Florissant to encourage city officials to join the "Cool Cities" campaign for conservation and energy efficiency. But Gloria has traveled far beyond her city to represent the club. Many years ago she was the MO Sierra Club's chapter representative to a "Southern Plains" regional conservation group. As such Gloria represented us by traveling to Oklahoma and Texas and learning about our shared issues with grasslands, regional pollution sources etc.

Thanks Gloria for your past and continued service to the club.

Nancy Tongren: Long-Time Service Award

Long-time Service Award recipient Nancy Tongren joined the Eastern Missouri Group of the Sierra Club in 1984. She soon became a regular with the Lemonade Brigade, the volunteers who staff Sierra Club lemonade booths to raise money for the club.

In 1989, Nancy came to the first Adopt-A-Highway outing. At that outing, she and 5 other volunteers spent 3 hours filling 22 bags with the trash that had accumulated along our .6 mile adopted stretch of Highway 40. Undaunted, Nancy returned two months later, for the next scheduled trash pickup...and the 106 pick-ups that followed.

Twenty-four years of lemonade...eighteen years of litter pick-up...it adds up to an enormous number of beverage cups (and many other adventures). Dependable, cooperative, good-natured....Nancy has the can-do spirit that sustains us as a club, and supports our mission in the community.

Thanks Nancy for your consistent volunteer spirit.

Becky Parker: Rookie of the Year

Sometimes a new member, or a newly active member, comes along and makes a big difference in a short time. This year we decide to honor one of these.

Becky started coming to Energy Committee meetings in 2006, but late enough that she was still a rookie in 2007. From the start, she was always ready to look up information or make phone calls. To get us moving on creating a global warming slide show for high school students, she hosted a dinner at her house where several of us worked on it after a delicious meal.

Becky really stepped it up when she agreed to do layout for the Missouri Sierran, the chapter newsletter - a big job, especially with new software to figure out, and one she has handled well.

And besides all that, she's a lot of fun to be around! Thanks Becky for jumping in with both feet!