VOLUNTEER HOURS RECORD FORM
For a printable copy of a new updated Volunteer Hours Record Form.CLICK HERE
Community Service
Newsletter
CONGRATULATIONS
ECRTA Community Service Hours for 2025
11,498 Hours valued at $33.49/hour = $385,068.02 value of service time
Your volunteer hours are used by the IRTA lobbying team to show our legislators how retired educators give back to the community and state.
Teachers and school administrators have long been known for doing more than they were required to do to assist children and families in the school setting. They have gone the second mile in helping children, youth, teenagers and their families when the need arose.
Elkhart County Retired Teachers continue to give their time and professional expertise to many organizations in Indiana. Keep tabs of your 2025 hours, whether they be working with children, the elderly, or with a service organization. Please turn in your hours by the end of 2025 to Lenette Burckhart at klburckhart@gmail.com. A volunteer form is at the bottom of this page for your use.
ECRTA is involved in the collections of several items for our community. You may donate the following at any ECRTA luncheon or by contacting one of the officers.
Vases (not bud vases) to be turned into Joy Blooms
Children’s books, especially for the upper elementary age, to be turned into CASA
Eye glasses to be turned into The Lion’s Club
An ongoing project for ECRTA is our Tote Bag Project. Each year we sew tote bags for the children needing to move from their home and donate those bags to CASA and First Light Mission. You may contact Bonnie Reagan at breagan@bnin.net if you wish to work on this project or make donations.
Volunteers are honored by increments of 100 hours starting with 200 hours.
Questions arise as to what can be considered for volunteer hours. The following are just some suggestions. You may have other ones that you do.
Lifetime Achievement Award for Elkhart County
This award is given when appropriate to members who have
demonstrated continuous volunteerism over a period of time.
2017—Congratulations to Cathy VanHuystee. She volunteered 1,478 hours in 2016: she was trained in Stephen Ministry, volunteered at Ryan's Place as a facilitator for 4th and 5th graders, served as treasurer and president for the Homemakers Extension Club, served on several county extension committees, was a Volunteer Hostess in the
Home and Family Arts Building at the 4-H Fair, was the Community Service Chair for ECRTA, helped at the ECRTA Retirement workshop, was an advocate for a 26-year-old autistic young man, and helped serve the all-day Matterhorn's/Salvation Army free Thanksgiving dinner serving 2,300 people in 2016.
2015—Congratulations to Gary Stoltz. Gary volunteered with IRTA as well as our local ECRTA serving on legislative committees and kept all of us informed regarding legislative decisions and representatives views; the legislative decisions obviously have an enormous impact on all of the retired teachers throughout our state. He was also on the IRTA Foundation Board that sets policies for Scholarships, Hands-up and Helping
Hands. Gary also volunteered for Church Community Service in various capacities.
At the June meeting we had the privilege to present a $1,000
scholarship to a young lady. Emma Wogomon, a graduate of
Northridge High School was our winner. She is in her senior
year at IUSB. Emma states that she has always had an
interest in becoming a teacher. Her father, a high school
teacher, has been a big influence as she watched his
connections with his students. Emma has had several
teachers in her own life who made a real difference for her.
Congratulations to Emma and Best Wishes as you enter the
world of teaching.