Volunteer Awards
Volunteer All-Star Program
As a way of honoring those who give so much to Atlanta Track Club, we instituted the Atlanta Track Club All-Star Volunteer Program in 2005. An All-Star Volunteer is any individual who volunteers with us 10 or more times in a year. Each All-Star receives a special gift and recognition at the Grand Prix Finale & Volunteer Awards Breakfast at the end of the year. It is never too late to join the elite ranks. Simply sign up for our newsletter and start volunteering!
2022 All-Star Award Winners
In 2022, Atlanta Track Club has proudly named the following All-Star award winners! While volunteer opportunities were hard to come by these volunteers were still able to volunteer 5 or more times. Click below for a complete listing of All-Star award winners by year.
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2023 All-Star Volunteers 2022 All-Star Volunteers 2021 All-Star Volunteers
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Volunteer of the Year Awards
We are looking forward to the return of Volunteer of the Year awards in 2022!
Each year, we celebrate a few "above and beyond" amazing volunteers for going above and beyond the call of duty with their volunteer work both within our organization and in the greater community. Awards are presented at the Grand Prix Finale & Volunteer Awards Banquet. For a historical look back at all of our Volunteers of the Year, click here: Volunteer of the Year History.
The recipients of the 2022 Volunteer Awards are:
2022 Clarence W. May Jr. Community Service Award: In Memory of Vanessa Bennett
Among the most prestigious awards for Atlanta Track Club is the Clarence W. May Jr. Community Service Award. Named in honor of a long time dedicated volunteer of the organization who passed away in 2000, this award recognizes a volunteer who not only makes significant contributions to Atlanta Track Club, but to the greater community around us.
Clarence was an avid runner and cyclist with memberships to Atlanta Track Club, the Chattahoochee Road Runners and the Southern Bicycle League. He loved communing with nature through these activities. For many years, Clarence led the effort to refurbish hundreds of bicycles for underprivileged children in the Atlanta area during the holidays so they could receive a bike for Christmas.
The recipient of the 2022 Clarence W. May Jr. Award for Community Service is Vanessa Bennett .
With her volunteer spirit inspired by her mother, Vanessa began volunteering at the age of 8 at her family's church. She was a faithful woman who had a 42 year career with AT&T. She was cherished by her coworkers and clients, who praised her hard work, loyalty, leadership and compassion. In fact, it was her job at AT&T that brought her to Atlanta Track Club. Charged with wiring a phone line to the start of Atlanta's largest race on the Fourth of July, one day she found herself at the start of the Atlanta Journal- Constitution Peachtree Road Race and it was love at first sight. Vanessa began volunteering with Atlanta Track Club from that moment in 2003 and onward.
Vanessa took on variety of volunteer and leadership roles with Atlanta Track Club, giving countless hours to our office projects and events; impacting every department here. Her favorite events were Peachtree, Atlanta's Finest 5K, and the Olympic Team Trials - Marathon. She was our 2014 recipient of the Clarence W. May Jr. Award for Community Service for her volunteer work throughout her community: the biggest honorwe bestow upon our volunteers.
In March 2015, Vanessa was named our very first Volunteer of the Month. At that time, she stated: "I'm truly blessed to be able to do it," said Bennett. "I live for it. I have a favorite scripture, Galatians 6:10. 'Therefore as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people.' That's kind of like my mission statement."
She was named Volunteer of the Month again in December of 2020, as the Club wanted to close out a difficult season with her as a highlight: Vanessa had worked over 100 hours on helping us with our virtual mailing for the 2020 AJC Peachtree Road Race that was forced to go virtual for the first time in the event's history. When asked if she had any advice for new Atlanta Track Club volunteers, Vanessa offered us a quote from one of her best friends that had recently transitioned: "Remember that "Can't" don't work here! Always smile because you are making someone's day, and be flexible and willing to help outside of your comfort zone; you may find out that you actually like that assignment." Vanessa lived her life full of compassion and gratitude. She was a great leader who inspired those who knew her to be better and to give more. She was a great storyteller and an even better listener. She loved fiercely and was a friend to all. She used her supernatural talents to bring people together to do great things, and was part of the foundation of our Atlanta Track Club family. We extend our deepest condolences to Vanessa's family and to all who loved her.
In addition to Atlanta Track Club, Vanessa volunteered for the following organizations:
- Atlanta Harm Reduction Coalition, Inc
- The First Baptist Church of Atlanta Missions Department
- Operation Christmas Child - Santa's Village
- Georgia Publix Marathon
- The March of Dimes
- AT&T Pioneers; the American Diabetes Association
- Susan G. Komen; the American Cancer Society
- The Epilepsy Foundation;
- Leadercast
- The Catalyst Conference
- Children's Healthcare of Atlanta
- Chick fil A Peach Bowl
- Super Bowls here in Atlanta
- Atlanta National Championship Game(s)
We are honored to have Vanessa as our award winner, and will continue to do the work she so deeply advocated.
2022 Road Race Volunteer of the Year: Randy Stroud
Mike Idacavage has been involved with Atlanta Track Club for
over 20 years. His biggest job however is water delivery, set up, coordination
and being a liaison to the city to make sure all the water at the AJC Peachtree
Road Race is on, spraying or available to fill up on race day.
He also does this for the Thanksgiving Day Half Marathon. He
is not only dedicated to these tasks on race day, but his job starts long
beforehand. It takes lots or preparation, many meetings, and trips to the city
and track club offices to make sure everything goes according to plan. At the
Publix Atlanta Marathon he oversees the section leaders, crew chiefs and zones.
He alerts those below him of any tricky intersections, any MARTA stations,
opens the gates to parks etc.
Not only has he been a key volunteer for Atlanta Track Club
he also was a key volunteer for the Super Bowl, the Peach Bowl, and Final Four.
One amazing fact about Mike is that he is literally a rocket scientist. He hold
several masters degrees and a doctorate in organometallic chemistry. While
volunteering might not take rocket science, his knowledge and guidance that he
provides throughout the year is invaluable.
2022 Track & Field Volunteer of the Year: Tull Wesley
We have had the privilege of working with this volunteer at many, many Track Club events this year, but we want to specifically recognize him for his work at all of our All Comers Meets and our other Track and Field events. And to recognize him isn't just to recognize his hard work (although he's very hard working) or his timeliness or attendance (although he's one of our most reliable and dependable volunteers). What makes him such a special volunteer is the way he enhances the experience of everyone he encounters at our events.He is a friendly smile, an outgoing hello, a funny one-liner, and the occasional "here comes trouble" whenever someone like me walks up. I can't think of a better series of events than All Comers to connect with him.
Our All Comers events are very special to Atlanta Track Club because they so perfectly embody our community. No matter your background, skill level, or age, all are welcome to come, compete and have fun. And I think that perfectly sums up the approach he takes in meeting anyone and everyone. No matter who you are or where you come from, he welcomes you with the same friendly hello. He has impacted not just our staff and volunteers, but every participant he sees at a race. I wore this Santa hat intentionally. It happens to be the season today, but his signature look is a Santa hat year-round so I thought it was appropriate. Another physical example of the joy he can bring any time of year. So with that, congratulations Tull Wesley, Track and Field Volunteer of the Year.
2022 Youth Volunteer of the Year: Chris Moll
2022 Ambassador of the Year: January Pugh
The Ambassadors are tasked with promoting our events at Expos and they also go to outside events to spread awareness of our events and initiatives - ultimately trying to grow our membership and to join Running City USA.
They're always active on social media in order to help us create more of a constant conversation both in person and online. Choosing an Ambassador of the Year was a very tough decision as there were many people that deserved this honor. However, there was one person in particular who went above and beyond.
Our Ambassador of the Year is one that worked very hard to exemplify our core values, showed up ready to work at each event and treated all with kindness and respect. Thank you so much for all your hard work - January Pugh - our 2022 Ambassador of the Year
2022 Run Leads of the Year
Every so often we humans are given the special opportunity to meet, become friends with, and work alongside someone so full of love and joy and understanding and empathy and goodness that that person makes us better. You know the kind of person I'm talking about. Those of you here who know this person know of whom I speak. She listens. She cares. She leads. She makes us want to be better. She makes In-Training better. Ask anyone who knows her. I invite Maria Miller to the stage to accept a Gold Medal as a symbol of our gratitude and thanks for all of your exceptional work.
What to say about this person? If you want someone who shows up early, works incredibly
hard, runs as many miles as necessary to ensure every - and when I say every, I mean EVERY - marathon
trainee completes their long run, and then stays well into the afternoon long after every else has not
only gone home, but is home, who do you go to? You guessed it... a former marine. I'm going to go off
script here for just a sec by not echoing my traditional congratulatory BOOM and replace it with his
battle cry. It is with a loud and energetic and thankful and loving "OORAH!" that we have Greg as a Gold Medal recipient as a symbol of our gratitude and thanks for all of his hard work.
