KAFOSCARS for KAFASI volunteers
Local organization holds appreciation breakfast at Gateway

BY JOE POTENTE jpotente@kenoshanews.com 

KENOSHA NEWS PHOTO BY BILL SIEL
Rows of “KAFOSCARS” await their recipients during Saturday morning’s volunteer appreciation breakfast buffet presented by Kenosha Area Family and Aging Services Inc.

    Nearly 300 community volunteers packed Gateway Technical College’s Madrigrano Auditorium Saturday morning to receive a little recognition for their efforts.
    The host was Kenosha Area Family and Aging Services Inc., which for the second year in a row held an appreciation breakfast for its volunteers, this year with an Academy Awards theme.
    Outstanding volunteers were awarded “KAFOSCARS” — an homage to the organization’s initials, KAFASI — for their work during 2007.
    Gary Brown, executive director of KAFASI, noted that the organization has come a long way since it was founded 39 years ago.
    Brown recalled longtime organizer Connie Ferwerda’s story about how she was once told she would not be able to get people in Kenosha to volunteer to deliver meals.
    Thirty-five years later, 337 volunteers delivered 94,448 meals to 553 elderly and disabled people through KAFASI’s Meals on Wheels program.
    “This is living proof that those people who thought it couldn’t happen were wrong,” Brown said.
    KAFASI is a private, not-forprofit group that provides various services to the elderly and families with young children in Kenosha County.
    Programs include Meals on Wheels, transportation services, group activities, friendly visits for older adults and group respite care for those with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia and their caregivers.
    Organizers said 887 KAFASI volunteers logged 64,035 hours of work in 2007.
    While KAFASI staffers try to thank the volunteers for their service every day, the breakfast provides a more meaningful way to get the message of appreciation across, said Lauren Zielsdorf, Meals on Wheels program director.
    “For us, it’s a great opportunity to get all of you together and all of the staff together,” Zielsdorf said.
    Mayor Keith Bosman, speaking at the breakfast, said the government could not possibly replace all of the volunteers’ work.
    “Because of organizations like this and because of people like you, we have a community that looks out for one another, helps one another, and there’s a lot of pride in that,” Bosman said.
    The “KAFOSCARS” that were awarded Saturday carried zany titles such as “Best Performance in a Frozen Meal Role” (Paul Schrandt), “Outstanding Performance in a Senior Dining Role” (Joe Gorecki and Karen Nayes) and “Best New Performance in a Westosha Community Center Role” (Richard Scotnicki).
    In addition, Volunteer Vista brick awards were presented to Iola Rosenbaum, Frank and Ingrid Anzaldi and Dennis and Natalie Troha. Hazel Atkinson was named Volunteer of the Year.
    All of the volunteers are much appreciated, said Dana Tehako-Esser, KAFASI special projects coordinator.
    “You volunteers are truly the angels among us, and we appreciate all that you do,” Tehako-Esser said.