Last Tuesday, the Butler County Emergency Management Agency held its annual dinner to honor volunteers from the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) and Butler County Animal Response Teams (BUCART). The event, themed “Bridging the Gap,” emphasized the crucial role volunteers play in addressing community needs, with 2023 seeing 2,821 volunteer hours from 36 individuals, and 2024 increasing to 3,667 hours from 41 volunteers. The estimated value of their contributions was around $113,200.

Director Keri Korthals highlighted the importance of volunteers in disaster response, noting their training in various skills such as First Aid, light search and rescue, and animal response. Over the years, these volunteers have participated in significant efforts, including flood assessments, tornado recovery, and cold case searches, while also engaging in ongoing training to enhance their capabilities.

At the dinner, two individuals were awarded the Volunteer of the Year title: Mike Geiman, a 12-year volunteer known for his leadership and safety focus, and Cliff Jones, a six-year dual member of CERT/BUCART. Janell Jessup was recognized for logging the most hours, totaling 881, and serves as Co-Coordinator and Public Outreach for BUCART. Those interested in joining can find more information online or contact Emergency Management directly.