Jefferson Award 2009: Volunteer Trudy Simone

House of Hope volunteer Trudy Simone was honored with a Jefferson Award in March 2009 for her long-term service to the agency and the community.

House of Hope submitted her nomination in February 2009. Trudy was turning 90 at about the same time the agency was celebrating its 25th anniversary, and she has been volunteering since the start. 

We at HOH felt that Trudy is one of the steady, “unsung heroes” that appeals to Jefferson Awards judges. We felt honor would bring positive exposure to the 25 years our agency has served the community as well as the 25 years our volunteer has served HOH.

About the Jefferson Awards nationally and locally:

The Jefferson Awards are a national recognition program honoring volunteer service. The awards were founded in 1972 by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, U.S. Sen. Robert Taft Jr., and Sam Beard, chairman of the National Development Council.

The awards are designed to honor people who make our communities better places to live but who go about their tasks without ever receiving or seeking recognition or reward. The awards also serve as a call to action for volunteers in local communities.

Media sponsors – including local Scripps Howard properties – select five area Jefferson Award winners during the month of February – including the Palm Beaches and the Treasure Coast.

On Thursday, March 19, a report appeared about Trudy on the 5:30 p.m. telecast of the Channel 5 news and an article appeared in The Stuart News. [Read the article]

A celebratory reception was held at WPTV in West Palm Beach on April 6 for the five local Jefferson Award winners – two from Palm Beach county and three from the Treasure Coast.

Here is the nomination letter HOH submitted for Trudy Simone:

House of Hope is marking its 25th anniversary this year, and volunteer Trudy Simone has been with the agency from the start. Trudy is celebrating her own milestone this year as well: She turns 90 on Feb. 23, and she’s still volunteering energetically twice a week in House of Hope’s food pantry.

Trudy recalls the early days of the agency, when it was being operated out of a series of private homes on Ocean Boulevard in Stuart. She volunteered then, organizing food and clothing to people in need. She has followed along with House of Hope as it has moved and expanded -- first into a storefront operation and then its own building on the corner of Bonita Street and Dixie Highway. She recalls being at the groundbreaking ceremony, and says, “I feel like a part of the foundation.”

With House of Hope’s movement and expansion, the food pantry program has grown. It is the largest provider of food to hungry people in Martin County, fulfilling requests from nearly 15,000 people last year alone. House of Hope distributed 126 tons of food in 2008, and it depends on volunteers to sort and box the food for giving out to families.

Trudy Simone is part of that food pantry operation. Twice a week, she comes to House of Hope and fills boxes full of food for families and senior citizens trying to stretch their meager incomes.

“I like being behind the scenes,” Trudy says of her volunteer duty. “I don’t want to sit home, and I enjoy seeing my fellow volunteers. I sympathize so much with the families who need help.”

Thank you for your consideration of Trudy Simone for a 2009 Jefferson Award.