Volunteers are at the heart of the success of the Nevada Diabetes Association’s programs. Each month the NDA will spotlight a volunteer for exemplary service through the presentation of the “Emerald of Excellence” Award. Congratulations to Lee Johnson for being the recipient of this award for April! Thank you for your dedication to the NDA!
There’s no April Fools’ Day joke here with this month’s “Emerald of Excellence” award winner! Did you know that this volunteer was introduced to the Nevada Diabetes Association by a staff member and his incentive to accept the invitation to be a volunteer at Camp Vegas was a trip to Las Vegas and an opportunity to pick up his car?  Our very own Tara Winkelman invited Lee Johnson to attend Camp Vegas in 2009. He was reluctant at first because of his lack of knowledge about diabetes, but once he arrived he realized that he enjoyed the experience at camp and has been involved ever since.  Lee’s favorite part of being a volunteer for the NDA has been the connections that he has made and the lifelong friendships that have been established. Lee has many favorite memories of camp. Throughout the 12 years that he has been at camp, he has favorite memories of new campers who were nervous about their first day at camp and witnessing the changes in them throughout the week. Many of these campers begged their parents to sign them up for the next camp! He has seen many of these campers become leaders among their peers and grow into productive adults. Lee said that watching these campers grow sometimes makes him feel old, but it has been cool to watch!
Thank you Lee for being an exemplary volunteer. We truly your dedication.

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