Our volunteers at the Ohio Historical Society are all amazing people who are the life blood of the department. They do a variety of valuable jobs such as labeling artifacts, sorting through years of documentation, creating databases, researching collections, making copies, cataloging and packaging artifacts, just to name a few. Their individual skills, experience and personalities enliven and energize us and we are eternally grateful. Without them we simply could not function as well as we do. Recently we were able to recognize one of them in a very public way when were found out about the Medical Mutual Outstanding Senior Volunteer Award. Below is her nomination and we want to share it with you so you can understand why, for a variety of reasons, we wanted to honor Michael.
The Ohio Historical Society would like to nominate Michael Dion for the Medical Mutual 2013 Outstanding Senior Volunteer Awards. 
It is for her work at OHS and around the world that we nominate Michael Dion! Since 2007, Michael has been an instrumental Archaeology volunteer at OHS, fulfilling our mission to connect with the past, learn from the present, and create a better future. She averages over 100 hours a year! Previous archaeology volunteering with universities and Earthwatch Institute took her to St. Lucia, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Trinidad, Chile, Macedonia, Russia, Wales, Israel, Romania, South Africa, Thailand, and Poland. The skills she learned from these projects make her an invaluable member of the team. She enhances the well being of OHS by cataloging and processing new collections; allowing staff to accommodate more items and offer expanded opportunities for research. Michael also organized and cataloged the research library. Michael contributes to the well being of many individuals and many groups across the world! Michael is a member of Habitat for Humanity and several times a year participates in projects across the globe. She traveled to Guatemala, Haiti, Jordan, Ethiopia, New Orleans, Tibet, Hungry, Mississippi, and Tajikistan! Michael assisted with Hurricane Katrina cleanup in New Orleans, traveling to the city on three separate occasions and driving to Mississippi to ensure homes and communities were re-built. She enhances the well being of children and the elderly across the world. Working with Cross Cultural Solutions as a volunteer, Michael traveled to Russia, Costa Rica, and Brazil to assist orphanages and elderly care centers. She was a member of Global Volunteers and went on expeditions to Mississippi, China, and Ghana to promote education amongst elementary and middle school children. Michael still found time to volunteer within her community at the Bexley Methodist Church. She participated in textile ministry; working with healing hands quilts and nativity pageant costumes. She also taught childrens Sunday school, coordinated the eastside Hispanic ministry, and volunteered at Highland Avenue Elementary. Michael is extremely cheerful and giving. Her focus is on what can be learned or achieved through her work. She possesses a calming effect for other volunteers, making any work process easier. She is methodical, detail oriented, and very capable of starting and completing projects on her own. She is motivated by a desire to help others, no matter what. She lives a GIVING LIFE. Michael executes every job with a positive attitude, thinking only of how her actions will benefit others. Michael meets challenges head on and moves right past them! She focuses on the larger picture of helping people around the world. The personal sacrifices she makes to fulfill her mission are many. Michael pays for her own transportation, food, and lodging while she is traveling for volunteer work. During her third trip to New Orleans Michael was quoted in the April 28, 2008 edition of the St. Petersburg Times, I felt this need to help. Point me where you need something done, Ill do it. The selfless donation of time, energy, and resources to strangers across the globe and members of her own community make Michael an outstanding volunteer.
Joining her at the recognition luncheon this past Tuesday were Joe Dunn (volunteer), Martha Otto (Curator of Archaeology, Emerita), Brad Lepper (Curator of Archaeology), Linda Pansing (Curator of Archaeology), Kit Kilen (volunteer) and Annamae Kacsandi (Volunteer Coordinator [not pictured]).
As a side note, after the nomination had been sent in Michael pitched joined another charitable organization as a volunteer helping build houses for earthquake victims in Haiti and has been there several times since. She rocks, literally. The final picture is from her last trip to Haiti in April. She is shown making gravel by hammering rocks. Thank you Michael, not only for what you do for us, but what you do for everyone throughout the world!
