8/16/13 - About a hundred of LACASA's volunteers gathered for a recognition dinner last night at the Howell Opera House. The event included a short presentation followed by a catered dinner and socialization for the people who give their time free of charge to the organization. Community Education Director Nicole Matthews-Creech says the organization wanted to recognize and celebrate the activities of the past year and the people who made them happen. She tells WHMI LACASA is a 24/7 organization, and that level of community service could never be provided with just the paid staff. Matthews-Creech says about 750 volunteers in total worked for Lacasa last year, contributing over 24,000 hours of service. Matthews-Creech says that amount of effort is equal to about 11 full-time employees, meaning LACASA's paid staff would have to increase by almost a third to make up for the effort of the volunteers. She adds that over 16,000 of those hours involved direct client contact, making the volunteers a very visible and important part of LACASA's services. (TD)
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