Polk County Amateur Radio Emergency Service will be receiving a Governor’s Volunteer Award from Governor Chester J. Culver during a special ceremony on Monday, July 27 at 2:00 pm at Southeast Polk High School in Pleasant Hill, Iowa.

The Governor’s Volunteer Award program was established in 1982 to honor and recognize volunteers for the commitment, service and time that they contribute to Iowa’s government agencies and nonprofit organizations. More than 680 volunteers were selected for awards in 2009. Volunteers may be nominated for an award in one of three categories: Individual, Group, or Length of Service. And, for 2009, a special category was added to recognize disaster assistance and recovery volunteers.

Polk County Amateur Radio Emergency Service were selected for the Group Award by the American Lung Association for recognition for their radio communication for their special events, Lung Walk and 801 Grand Power Climb.

“The devotion of these volunteers helps Iowa consistently remain in the top 10 states in the nation for its volunteerism rate,” said Governor Culver. “Lt. Governor Judge, the First Lady, and I are honored to have this opportunity to personally thank this year’s award recipients for donating their time, dedication, and talent to make a tremendous difference in our state.”

The most recent “Volunteering in America” study shows that volunteers in Iowa collectively contribute 89.3 million hours of service and have an estimated economic impact of $1.7 billion annually. The entire report can be viewed at www.volunteeringinamerica.gov.

The Governor’s Volunteer Award program is coordinated by the Iowa Commission on Volunteer Service and the Governor’s Office. For more information, visit www.volunteeriowa.org or call 515/725-3094.

For information on how to become a licensed amateur radio operator, or to learn how licensed operators can become involved with the Polk County Amateur Radio Emergency Service, visit www.arrl.org or call 515-979-1539.