On Sunday, September 25, 2005, Homestead National Monument of America honored all of its volunteers at a special reception. Several special awards were presented. Bob Hancock was recognized as the Volunteer of the Year. The person receiving this award shows leadership and impact in many aspects of the operation of the park. Bob is active in several divisions of the park including Interpretation, Natural Resources, Cultural Resources, and Maintenance. He has developed leadership in many of the volunteer programs. Programs include the image scanning project and is a leader with the water quality program where he teaches 8th graders and other adults how to complete the water chemical analysis of water from Cub Creek. He also represented the water quality program at the International Water Conference in Maryland and was a member of the team who mentored Glacier National Park. He also assists with special events including Pioneer Days, Homestead Days, Howling Homestead, and Heartland Storytelling Festival. His woodworking skills are useful in restoring antique farm equipment. He love of hiking is utilized in the deer survey. Other awards given include volunteers providing 100 or more hours of service. They include: Rhonda Eddy, Bob Hancock, Marjorie Huls, Dale Koch, Wayne Ossowski, Bob Schmidt and Tom and Eileen Shirk all of Beatrice; Philip Kukulski of Detroit, Michigan; Patrick Rezac of Lincoln, Nebraska; Rachel Vegors of Tennessee; and Paul Banks of Brooklyn, New York.
