Volunteer at Park Vista receives proclamation from Obama — 6 months late

By William K. Alcorn

‘Always remember, one person can make a difference,’ Rozzi said.

YOUNGSTOWN — Mail room personnel told Loretta Rozzi, “You need to get down here. You have a package from the White House.”

Rozzi, volunteer coordinator at Park Vista Retirement Center, hustled to the mail room and found that President Barrack Obama had sent her a proclamation declaring April 19-25 National Volunteer Week 2009.

The proclamation arrived Oct. 15 in response to a letter Rozzi wrote to the president in March asking him for some personal words of encouragement that she could read to Park Vista’s volunteers at the 2009 Volunteer Recognition Luncheon in April.

“I didn’t hear back and totally forgot about it,” said Rozzi.

“I was hoping for something more personal, but I was thrilled to get the proclamation. We were very excited,” she said of herself and the staff at Park Vista.

“It will give me something to talk about at next year’s luncheon,” she said.

Rozzi, a Campbell resident and 1961 graduate of Campbell Memorial High School, already has plans to make copies of the proclamation, roll them like scrolls, and give one to each volunteer at the 2010 luncheon. Also, the proclamation will be framed and displayed at the center, she said.

Rozzi said she wrote to Obama because he advocated volunteering during his campaign.

“I told him who I was and where I worked and asked him for a few words of encouragement that I could read to the volunteers at the recognition luncheon,” she said.

In his proclamation, President Obama says in part: “Volunteering provides the opportunity to join and better a community. Every American who volunteers can become an integral part of a school, a hospital or a neighborhood. Those who give of their time also join our nation’s proud history of service and help preserve this tradition for generations ahead.”

Read the full story Monday in The Vindicator and on Vindy.com.