Newsline: Brethren disaster volunteer Steve Keim receives awards

[CoBNews <CoBNews@brethren.org>]

Newsline: Church of the Brethren News Service, News Director Cheryl 
Brumbaugh-Cayford, 800-323-8039 ext. 260, cobnews@brethren.org

Brethren disaster volunteer Steve Keim receives awards

(May 24, 2012) Elgin, IL --Steve Keim, a volunteer project leader for Brethren 
Disaster Ministries, was named Volunteer of the Year by National VOAD 
(Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster) on May 8, during the 2012 Annual 
VOAD Conference in Norfolk, Va.

A second and completely unexpected award, the President's Volunteer Service 
Award, was facilitated by Points of Light and presented to Keim by the 
Corporation for National and Community Service. Then, to top off the 
award-giving, FLASH (Federal Alliance for Safe Homes) presented him with 
tickets to Disney World.

The National VOAD Team selected Keim "for exemplifying the core values of the 
VOAD movement: Coordination, Cooperation, Communication, and 
Collaboration,"--known as the four Cs. Brethren Disaster Ministries executive 
director Roy Winter reported that Keim had a standing ovation from the 500-plus 
people present at the awards ceremony.

The ovation was well deserved. Since the beginning of last year, Keim has 
served 349 days at Church of the Brethren disaster recovery projects in 
Indiana, Tennessee, Louisiana, and Alabama. While serving in his leadership 
role with Brethren Disaster Ministries, he consistently embodies the "4 Cs" of 
National VOAD in his relations with clients, partner agencies, local 
businesses, building inspectors, local churches, and disaster volunteers.

"Steve understands the value of volunteers, and he always ensures that each 
volunteer, regardless of skill level or background, is made a part of the 
team," said Zach Wolgemuth, associate director of Brethren Disaster Ministries. 
"He makes safety a priority and provides proper training, directions, and 
appropriate work."

Building inspectors have been impressed by the quality of work done by 
volunteer crews under Keim's leadership. "Inspectors would comment about how 
great it was to work with groups that constructed to code and wanted homes to 
be built correctly," said Wolgemuth.

Lisa Warren, who is president for the Marshall County VOAD and recently worked 
with Keim in Arab, Ala., said she "has heard nothing but good things from all 
the clients he had been working with. Steve goes out of his way to do extra 
things for the clients and treats them all with the utmost respect possible." 
One disaster survivor affirmed Keim is an "instrument of God's hands for the 
edification of the church and the betterment of the world."

What does Keim make of all the excitement? He admits, "I don't deal well with 
fussing, especially about me." He prefers to be an "invisible force behind 
things," adding that "it's all about the volunteers."

Nonetheless, "Steve is a truly deserving candidate for the National VOAD 
President's Award," said Wolgemuth, who had nominated Keim for the award. "He 
has proven to be an invaluable volunteer with an unquenchable passion and 
dedication to service."

The Church of the Brethren is a Christian denomination committed to continuing 
the work of Jesus peacefully and simply, and to living out its faith in 
community. The denomination is based in the Anabaptist and Pietist faith 
traditions and is one of the three Historic Peace Churches. It celebrated its 
300th anniversary in 2008. It counts some 123,000 members across the United 
States and Puerto Rico, and has missions and sister churches in Nigeria, 
Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and India.

(Jane Yount, coordinator for Brethren Disaster Ministries, contributed this 
release.)

># # #

>For more information contact:

>Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford
>Director of News Services
>Church of the Brethren
>1451 Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL 60120
>800-323-8039 ext. 260
>cobnews@brethren.org