By Delainey Muscato
St. Bonaventure University
Volunteers keep the community going. They help with events, committees, fundraisers and more. September 17th – 23rd marked Chamber Week for the Greater Olean Area Chamber of Commerce (GOACC). This week allowed the Chamber to reflect on all the great things they have done this year as well as celebrate their wonderful volunteers who make all the achievements possible. One way the Chamber acknowledges their generous volunteers is through the Eric Garvin Volunteer of the Year Award. This award is presented to community members who are highly involved in the Chamber. Recipients, chosen by Chamber staff members, must be a member of the Chamber of Commerce, must be a volunteer for the entire fiscal year, and must be active on one or more committees in the area.
Each year, the winners are kept a secret until the reception. Fairway View Pavilion at the St. Bonaventure University golf course was the venue for the reception this year. On Monday, September 18th, GOACC Chief Operating Officer, Meme Yanetsko presented the award to two very deserving people. Of the winners, she said, “The first person has volunteered for corporate challenge, Gus Macker, Santa Claus Lane, the dice run, sold gift certificates in our office and has even joined the events committee. The second person themselves wear many volunteer hats for other organizations but still finds time to volunteer for the Chamber – when one of our judges couldn’t make the parade, this person braved the cold weather and sat with our other judges for the Santa Claus Lane. She also has cycled for our running events as a cleanup caboose, and has joined the events committee”. Paula and Al Bernstein won the award for 2023. The husband wife duo are incredibly active members of the community. Yanetsko said, “They are both very busy volunteers for many grateful organizations and we love that the Chamber is on their list of helping out”.
Both Paula and Al were very honored to have received this award. Al commented “To win a volunteering award that is now named after Eric Garvin is humbling because he did so very much. I guess I’ll just try harder to live up to the standard. By the way, it’s easy and fun to help the Greater Olean Area Chamber of Commerce”. Paula joked at the lengths Yanetsko went to keep the secret of the recipients. She said, “Thank you Meme Krahe Yanetsko for including Al and I with this honor. I’m more than happy to join the board. However, I will no longer trust anything you say. Meme told me that Al was winning the award and then she told Al that I was winning the award…..we both won the award”.
This award was renamed in 2021 to commemorate someone who truly embodied and fulfilled the criteria. Eric Garvin was awarded the honor posthumously in 2021. Garvin was a director of the Chamber board for many years. He was a huge volunteer and overall supporter of the Chamber and its events for a long time. Each year, winners of the award will be reminded of his contributions and his character of kindness.
Each year, the Chamber does something a bit different with the award depending on the recipients, or in this case its two recipients. The Bernsteins received two squirrel shaped awards, as squirrels are the unofficial mascot of the GOACC. One was a piece of art and the other functions as a serving tray. Yanetsko said, “It’s great that all of our volunteers give to our office and to these events – with their volunteering our events (and the Chamber) succeeds”. Without the volunteers who take time to support the events through donations or onsite help, the Chamber simply could not thrive.