Volunteer Spotlight: Awarded for Your Service

If you've been on the Extreme Teams for a while, you are used to seeing Eric Hofschire around on volunteer Work Days, helping out on the Projects Team. Eric is the Team Leader for the Projects Team and he's been serving with Extreme Community Makeover since the summer of 2012."I was looking for something to do during the summer. I am a teacher and I have the summers off. I went to a couple volunteer Work Days to check it out, and it was right up my alley! I loved that I got to do physical work outside, and I enjoyed getting to know a lot of diverse people from different walks of life," explains Eric.Eric recently received the Minoru Yasui Community Volunteer Award, during an awards ceremony held at The Denver Foundation. Eric was nominated by a group of students involved in a Volunteer Management class at MSU Denver."After the class volunteered, they had to do an assignment of some type, and one of the students wanted to nominate a volunteer for this award. They asked me who to nominate and I chose Eric," says Executive Director Angela Bomgaars."Eric is an amazing volunteer who dedicates so much time and effort to ECM that makes a huge impact on the work we do, the residents we connect with, but also for me – knowing I have someone on the team that is committed to what we do and knows how to make our work as impactful as possible," states Angela.Angela and Eric were honored to take part in the volunteer award ceremony, along with Eric’s wife Linda and the committee who decided on the award.  They gave a speech about the history of the person this award was named after,  Minoru Yasui. Angela also got to share about the vision of Extreme Community Makeover and Eric was able to share about his volunteer experience."Volunteering with ECM has exposed me to different parts of Denver. It has  allowed me to build relationships with people I would not have had the opportunity to meet otherwise. I really enjoy the relational aspect of ECM. It is what I appreciate the most," explains Eric.When Eric recalls his experience serving with ECM, there are a handful of people who stand out over the years. Eric has been able to establish relationships with a couple of the older Denver residents, who have called each summer to have help with yard work. "They really appreciate having help. They are so thankful for the volunteers.  I love when I am able to see the volunteers  invested in the well-being of the residents as well. I've seen volunteers go out of their way to do something not even related to the projects. That is pretty cool," says Eric.We want to congratulate Eric on his volunteer recognition! Extreme Community Makeover thrives because of volunteers, like Eric, who are committed to the vision of seeing Denver neighborhoods succeed. If you would like to make a difference in the lives of Denver residents, become a volunteer on our Extreme Teams and sign-up here.