Local do-gooders came together at Lehighton's Trinity Lutheran church to celebrate volunteer efforts for Mayor and County Recognition Day for National Service on Tuesday.

Members of the Retired Senior Volunteer Program were commended for theircommunity-oriented efforts by Carbon County Commissioner Thomas J. Gerhard."They're extremely important to the community," Gerhard said of RSVP and other volunteers. "I respect everyone in the room today who is working in the food pantries, working at the hospitals as greeters. The numerous things that these people do, volunteering their time and talent to services, makes them feel better as a person. I know it makes me feel good when I volunteer my time. Giving back to your community, that's what volunteering is all about."Members of RSVP are heavily invested in charity efforts, including environmental projects, mentoring, meal deliveries and more, to the point where they are one of the largest senior volunteer programs in the country."Most of the people here today are volunteers at food pantries. We're giving food to people in need. We also have Trinity Lutheran Knotters. They make knotted quilts, and they send them during national disasters, like when a hurricane hits," Jean Zimmerman, consultant for Carbon County's RSVP, said, citing just a few of the numerous efforts that members are involved in.In fact, members of the RSVP are absolutely essential to some charitable works in Carbon County, especially the food pantries, which are a vital source of nutrition for plenty of people.Charles Hettler, who helps with the Shepherd House Food Pantry, said that the local pantries serves more than 1,400 people a month."If we didn't have volunteers, we couldn't run it," Hettler said.Susan Zeigler, administrator of the Carbon County Area's Agency on Aging, agreed, and said that considering current cutbacks, volunteers are a necessity for the group."We have two programs that are actively staffed with volunteers. There's our APPRISE program, which is our health insurance counseling program, and then we have our ombudsman program, where people go into nursing homes, personal care homes, and adult day cares, and they talk to residents to see how they're being treated, if they have any problems. We could not do those programs without our volunteers," Zeigler said.Trish Kane of Nesquehoning, who volunteers with the Agency on Aging's Ombudsman program and a developing ride-sharing program, loves the socialization and personal connections that stem from her work."It's just wanting to give back," Kane said. "I worked in nursing, and now that I'm not working, I want to give back. I enjoy going back to where I worked now, as a volunteer, because I can actually be involved with the people and whatever they're doing. You just get enjoyment out of that."Shirley Radler of Lehighton also contributes to a variety of services, including the Trinity Pantry, as well as the Big Brothers/Big Sisters program."It really makes you feel good. Sometimes it's a bit overwhelming, but I enjoy doing it," she said.A presentation by an extra-special volunteer proved to be especially popular. Snickers the dog, with some direction from Connie Wentz of Therapy Dogs Inc., performed a series of tricks, including playing a keyboard, stacking his toys, flipping through a book and praying before bed to entertain the crowd."He volunteers, he goes to the different nursing homes and facilities, and this week we're going to a school to do therapy work and make people smile," Wentz said. "He can be such a clown."Judging by the laughter and grins in the crowd, Snickers did a great job.By all accounts, the crowd enjoyed a nicelunch with friends and family, along with entertainment from Snickers, to celebrate their extraordinary efforts in helping the community."They're so generous, so generous. They go way out and beyond what they're asked to do. I can't say enough about the volunteers here. They provide such a service. And, we save the county a boatload of money," Zimmerman said.