On October 26th, four Belleville residents will be recognized for their volunteer service. Robert Hoffman and Barbara Palmer will each receive the President's Lifetime Achievement, recognizing those that have volunteered 4,000 hours in their lifetime. Bernice Jelle and Mary Jane Legler will each receive the RSVP Length of Service Award, honoring those that have volunteered for 20 years.

Robert Hoffman

Robert Hoffman taught Junior High School for the Oregon School District. One day, shortly after retirement, he happened to meet the Director of the Sugar River Senior Center in the post office. The director, who he knew through teaching, immediately asked him to sign up to help with the Home Delivery Meal Program. He has been volunteering with the Center ever since. Robert also volunteers with his church and has served on the library board, but the majority of his volunteer work is with the Sugar River Senior Center. Robert coordinates drivers at the Center, he stated he is lucky to work with a very nice group of volunteers. He also is the President of the Advisory Council, is in charge of fundraising committee and sits on the Board of the Sugar River Senior Center. Robert states he loves to, "be around people, I love to help out, little or big or whatever way I can." He went on to say, "It may just be giving someone a smile, or listening to a problem and steering someone toward the help they need."

Robert said that, "volunteering keeps his mind going, keeps me young and active. It reminds me how fortunate I am and helps to educate me on how I can help senior citizens, shows me what services are available to help people."

Robert has recruited many Home Delivery Meal volunteers and has a message for any potential volunteer. "Try volunteering, try something new in a limited way and before long you will be volunteering a lot!"

Robert will be receiving the President's Lifetime Achievement Award on October 26th, at RSVP of Dane County's Annual Recognition event. This award celebrates those with over 4,000 hours of volunteer service in the community.

Bernice Jelle

"Beautiful things come together one stitch at a time." Just ask Bernice Jelle, who has spent years with needle and thread in hand, both in her work life and in retirement. Jelle is a recipient of the President's Length of Service Award, given to volunteers who give 20 consecutive years of active service to nonprofits for her volunteer work with the two Retired and Senior Volunteer Program's Group Projects in Belleville (Threads of Love) and Primrose Lutheran Church (Knotty Ladies).

Although Jelle is quick to downplay her role tying quilts, she is always one of the first seated at the quilting frame with her needle threaded and ready to get busy, and she's been doing that for RSVP for 20 years now and another five years for Primrose. Along with that, she's quick with a kind word, a smile and a wink and one would guess that she brings that level of kindness to everything she does.

Jelle grew up on a dairy farm in Primrose with two sisters and two brothers, just down the road from Primrose Lutheran Church, where she is still a member. Along with her work helping to tie quilts, Jelle volunteered for years at the Primrose Lutheran Church Bizarre and Bake Sale alongside her dear friend, Virginia Hefty. She also served as the main photographer for the 65 and Older Club at the church.

Her first job was helping to run a 684 needle embroidery machine at The Upright Swiss Embroideries in New Glarus, where she worked for many years making things like emblems for military and band uniforms. (She was also featured on one of their postcards from back in the day!) She then moved into office work for insurance companies, but must have missed making pretty things and turned to the quilt circle after she retired in 1992.

"It's just a lot of fun to get together and quilt and visit with the girls," she said. Rumor has it she also has one of the prettiest and most colorful rose gardens around, which isn't surprising knowing how her nurturing hand and spirit add to the beauty of all the quilts made by her group.

Mary Jane Legler

Mary Jane Legler started volunteering in 1997 at the Sugar River Senior Center. She had worked at the Senior Center previously, helping to track meal deliveries. When she stopped working she stated, "She wanted to give back." Mary Jane has certainly given back to the Sugar Creek Senior Center, while still helping with tracking home delivered meals, she also is on the Advisory Council of the Senior Center and helps coordinate the yearly Holiday Bazar. Mary Jane helps with the monthly Birthday/Anniversary parties at the center. She sometimes will call each volunteer on that month's list to invite them personally to the party. She stated that, "talking with the seniors is what keeps her volunteering"..."I love people, I love to stay in touch, and sometimes seniors do not have a lot of people to talk to." Mary Jane also likes coordinating the center's group trips. She recalls having a lot of fun going to Coloma, WI, to visit the Clauson Family Theater Barn, going to Stoughton and Dubuque to see an Opera, trips to the casino, and traveling to North Freedom to ride the steam train. Mary Jane stated that, "volunteering gave her the opportunity to make new friends to have adventures with." Mary Jane will be given the RSVP Length of Service Award at their Annual Recognition Event on October 26th. This award recognizes over 20 years of volunteering with RSVP and the community. Mary Jane wants to tell others to "get involved and volunteer if you enjoy doing for other people, the rewards you reap are wonderful."

Barb Palmer

Stephen Hawking says that "Intelligence is the ability to adapt to change." By that measure and much more, Barb Palmer is one smart cookie. Her adaptability had to come at a young age, when her family moved from Madison to Montrose Township to help run the family farm and Palmer and her brother transitioned their school life to a one-room schoolhouse, where they studied until moving to Belleville High School. Palmer recalls getting electricity on the farm at age 11 and a telephone when she was a junior in high school.

Palmer is receiving the President's Lifetime Achievement award for giving 4,000 hours of volunteer service during her lifetime. And what a life it's been.

Palmer met her future husband, Lester, at her brother's wedding and they married in 1950, beginning their life together living with in-laws on his family's homestead, where Palmer still lives today. The Palmers raised eight children together on that farm, finally adding an indoor bathroom to the house built in 1853 about two years after they moved in.

Like many wives of the time, Palmer performed many jobs other that wife and mother: she was the family baker and cook, grew and set up the families vegetables, and sewed and knit clothes for the kids. "I would stay up until 2 in the morning when no was awake to bother me," Palmer said. "I'd just be on a pattern that inspired me to keep going!"

Palmer learned to sew in high school, but taught herself to knit and crochet, and did such a good job of it, that she taught knitting to her daughter's 4-H club for four years, and was approached by the Belleville High School principal to teach knitting as part of MATC classes offered at the high school in the evenings! Palmer accomplished all of this while raising her brood, which included two sons born with Muscular Dystrophy, whom she cared for in their home until they passed in young adulthood.

Bernice Jelle

Palmer took up quilting after her kids were grown, and has made a quilt for each of her nine grandchildren. She joined the RSVP quilting group run out of Belleville Senior Center soon after starting to quilt and is an active member still. She also has served on the Advisory Board for the senior center for 20 years and she still plays Euchre, subs in a 500 card group and attends center functions. She volunteered in several capacities in her church over the years as well.

Patience, resilience and determination are qualities that have served Palmer well in her family life, her work life and her life as a volunteer. "I enjoy helping people. I get satisfaction from doing it and think it's an enjoyable challenge," Palmer shared.