Gil Fletcher of North Kingstown Honored
as a 2008 Outstanding Volunteer

The Volunteer Center of Rhode Island (VCRI) is pleased to announce that Gil Fletcher of North Kingstown will be honored for commendable service in his community through service to PawsWatch Cat Resue and Plan USA.

The Outstanding Volunteer Award, sponsored this year by The Washington Trust Company, is presented annually to several individuals and groups who have made a visible impact in their communities through focused and selfless volunteer work. These awards serve to emphasize the important role volunteers play in Rhode Island and to recognize the time and talent invested by the honorees, such as Gilbert Fletcher, in nonprofit organizations throughout the state.

Fletcher has contributed at PawsWatch for the past three years. His responsibilities include managing “Adoption Day” events, advertising, accounting, training fellow volunteers and fostering a good work environment between his colleagues.

Fletcher’s presence at Plan USA has been visible for over a decade. He has sponsored a child for the past eleven years and began as a volunteer four years ago. Fletcher’s work with the organization includes developing a database to encompass worldwide projects and, providing research for articles in Weekly Reader magazine.  Fletcher reaches out to child sponsors who have moved or fallen behind on their contributions, leading to thousands of dollars in donations to help children and families worldwide.

Kitty Holt, of Plan USA describes Fletcher as, “always cheerful, always ready to lend a hand, and never leaves someone’s presence without uplifting them. His sense of humor helps us all to keep our perspective. Gil treats his volunteer positions with all the professionalism, responsibility and dependability of a full-time paid employee, keeping regular hours, providing valuable input for improving operations, and promoting high morale.”

Fletcher will be honored for all of his achievements as an Outstanding Volunteer during "VolunCheers 2008!" on Tuesday, April 29th at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Warwick, RI.