The Wallaces from Georgia are NRA Volunteers of the Year
NRAblog 05.17.12
Our next spotlight on this year’s Region Volunteers of the Year is a twofer. Jeremie and Stephanie Wallace, together, are the 2011 Southern Region recipients.
A select committee of senior NRA staff choose the Region volunteers from the pool of Field Rep-selected Area volunteers. To call attention to their exception service, the Region Volunteers of the Year were brought up on stage during the National NRA Foundation Banquet at this year’s Annual Meeting and were recognized as honored guests.
Jeremie & Stephanie Wallace call Valdosta, Georgia, home and are the current chairman and treasurer, respectively, of the Valdosta Area Friends of NRA committee. With only five years of service these two are relatively new members of the Friends of NRA family, but they’ve made quite the impact in their short time.
The Wallaces raised over $43,000 for their committee in the 2011 banquet season, a number that includes banquet tickets sold, sponsorships, underwriting, and donations. Formed in 1996, the Valdosta Area Friends of NRA committee hosted 63 attendees at its inaugural banquet, raising about $3,000. By 2011 both of those numbers had leaped considerably, with the committee sporting 158 attendees and over $22,000 raised at its 2011 banquet. All in all the Valdosta Area Friends of NRA have had 2,085 attendees to its 16 banquets and has raised $174,195 for NRA programs.
“Jeremie and Stephanie embody the spirit of the Friends of NRA mission. They are truly working solely to raise funds for the future of the shooting sports. Their passion and determination is infectious and wonderful to be around,” Brad Ward, NRA Field Rep, Georgia. “This team deserves our recognition and our sincere thanks, as they are the heart and soul of the Friends of NRA.”
Jeremie and Stephanie have run Georgia’s most successful banquet for the last three years, accomplishing this by securing underwriting for the entire cost of the event prior to opening the doors – impressive. Wanting to share the wealth – literally – the Wallaces stepped up to lead their committee as well as educate other committees in Georgia on how to obtain underwriting and run the event like it is a business.
Outside of the NRA, the two are both extremely active within community organizations such as the 4H, Boy Scouts, and almost any local youth education program or event.
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