TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Rosemary Ingram, a volunteer with the Retiree Activities Office at Travis Air Force Base, California, was recognized as the 2020 Air Force Volunteer of the Year Oct. 6, 2021.
Ingram, whose support of COVID-19 mitigation efforts contributed to her winning the award, has a storied history of helping Travis AFB residents.
“I’ve done a lot of the work with the Patient and Family Advisory Council in recent years, helping patients communicate directly with medical staff to share their concerns and suggestions,” Ingram said. “I was a teacher and principal in the private sector, so when I retired, I felt it was important to leverage my skills to give back and help others — it’s almost an obligation in that sense.”
Despite the accolades heaped upon Ingram, she’s quick to share the praise with those who volunteer alongside her.
“I’d be remiss not to mention the help and leadership we receive from our director, Jerry Edmonds, as well,” she said. “So much of what we do starts with our leadership staff.”
Deserving as she was for the reward, that didn’t keep Ingram from being shocked by the announcement.
“I was gobsmacked,” she said. “At first, I was shocked just to be chosen out of the many wonderful volunteers we have in our office, but when our chief said, ‘Well, no, this is actually a bit bigger than just our office,’ I was really taken aback. It’s an honor, truly.”
Amid the many endeavors and initiatives she’s taken on, even with her award still clutched in her arms, Ingram’s word of advice for aspiring volunteers is a surprisingly simple one: “Just come out.”
“There’s no shortage of help to be given,” she said. “The one thing we require from our volunteers is just that singular drive to help others. Everything else, we’ll handle. All the training, all the skills that may be needed — we can teach you. All you need to do is just show up.”
For information on how to volunteer with the Retiree Activities Office, call 707-424-3904 or e-mail raotravis@yahoo.com.