Parks volunteer awarded

Betsy Worden has been named the Charlie Meadows Award winner for her volunteer service to the Hancock Park District. The award has been presented annually since 2012 to a volunteer in parks, as selected by the staff. The award is named for the park district's first volunteer coordinator. In 1982, Meadows was instrumental in launching the Helping Hands program to get people involved in the parks. The honor is given to those "who most exhibit characteristics of leadership, enthusiasm for the projects and services they perform and for their willingness to promote volunteerism with others." "I knew Charlie Meadows for a number of years," Worden said in a news release. "He was a good man. He was always ready to tackle anything, which makes this award even more special to me." Worden has been an active volunteer for many years. Hancock Park District Natural Resource Manager Chad Carroll nominated the Findlay resident in recognition of her past and current involvement in the park system. "Over the past year, Betsy has helped with the collection of native seeds from park properties from a variety of species ranging from prairie plants to trees," said Carroll. "While doing this, she has informed me of many interesting plants she has found that have been added to our plant inventory, as well as alerting me to the presence of non-native species." Worden was largely responsible for the presence of volunteers who assisted with tree planting at Blue Rock Nature Preserve, he said, noting that she successfully helped to recruit many volunteers for the effort. Worden also writes the Hancock County Naturalist Newsletter. While the group is not directly affiliated with the park district, members actively assist in natural resource projects and monitoring. "(Worden) typically writes the main article of the newsletter, which tends to get people excited and interested in the natural world," said Carroll. "Then she encourages them to get out and enjoy the natural world in our parks."