David Weir, 2023 Strobel Award for Direct Service: Older Adult Volunteer
Congratulations to volunteer tutor David Joseph Weir who was recognized for his outstanding dedication to direct service in the Older Adult Volunteer category at the 2023 Mary Catherine Strobel Awards!
ELL Tutor Manager Maggie Yandell nominated David for this prestigious award saying, “David honors Mary Catherine Strobel’s legacy of joyfully committing to those in need through his work with the immigrant community in Nashville. He tirelessly and selflessly dedicates his time, expertise and privilege to improving the lives of others.” Thank you to everyone who voted for David in April - we share your pride in his amazing service!
At nearly 80 years old, David Joseph Weir has spent his last 13 years volunteering to help Nashville adults live fuller, more independent lives through his work as a tutor with the Nashville Adult Literacy Council. After retiring from his career in the healthcare industry, David returned to the love of language and the written word that he developed in college and began working with adults in both one-on-one and group classroom settings. David has worked with more than 50 students, both through volunteering for the NALC and those he finds in his daily life.
David also works with several students outside of any organization and goes the extra mile to care for those he teaches. When the pandemic hit, David learned how to use Zoom, earned his TEFL certification and was one of the first tutors at NALC to convert to online tutoring.
When a young Hispanic woman whom David was teaching was unfortunately and unjustly arrested, she called David from jail to inform him she couldn’t attend class. David was aware of the difficulties that come with navigating the criminal justice system as a member of the minority group, and accompanied the woman to meetings with her lawyer and court appearances. He visited her in jail, helped her with English and even brightened her spirits with well-timed jokes. After the woman was released from prison and with David’s support, the woman got her job back and finished her semester at Nashville State Community College with all A’s.
Middle Tennesseans were honored on May 12, 2023 for their volunteerism during Hands On Nashville’s 37th annual Mary Catherine Strobel Volunteer Awards presented by Jackson National Life Insurance Company (Jackson®). Recipients were announced at Marathon Music Works in a ceremony that was also live-streamed on social media.
The Strobel Awards honor volunteers of all ages and backgrounds for their inspirational service to their communities, and celebrate Mary Catherine Strobel, a Nashvillian who displayed an outstanding dedication to service throughout her life.
“It’s easy to see the challenges that face our community every day when you look at the news. Rising housing costs are contributing to homelessness, unsupported youth are engaging in crime, and people are facing injustice in our community. It’s important to see the flip side of that, too, — the incredible work that volunteers are doing every day to make our city better, said Lori Shinton, president and CEO of Hands On Nashville.
One of our nominees has been volunteering for more than fifty years, but we also see young people who are just getting started creating change. Some people wonder what can be done to fix the issues that we see every day. These volunteers are showing us how, and I hope that featuring their stories through the Mary Catherine Strobel Awards will inspire others to join them.”
Community members nominated more than 160 volunteers who demonstrated the spirit of service. After the public voted for their favorite stories, a panel of judges selected the seven award recipients, who will each receive $1,000 to donate to the nonprofit of their choice. The other 13 finalists will receive $250 to donate to an organization they care about.
“Volunteers, more than most, are acutely aware of the deep community that is cultivated through service, and how important volunteers are to the impactful work of nonprofits,” said Susannah Berry, corporate philanthropy director at Jackson. “I’d like to express my gratitude to each of these honorees for their incredible commitment and to everyone who has resumed their own volunteerism after the pandemic. With every hour and day, volunteers are rebuilding our community.”
The award recipients are as follows:
Capacity-Building Volunteer Award presented by Regions: Ingrid Campbell
Direct Service Volunteer – Youth Award presented by Asurion: Mary Meacham
Direct Service Volunteer – Adult Award presented by Piedmont Natural Gas: Hugh Trimble
Direct Service Volunteer – Older Adult Award presented by Advanced Financial: David Joseph Weir
Disaster Preparedness and Response Award presented by Kroger: Sherry Nicholson
Group Volunteer Service Award presented by Frazier and Deeter: Give Black, Give Back
Social Justice Impact Award presented by HCA Healthcare: Emily Jenkins
For more information on this year’s Strobel Awards and the award recipient stories, visit hon.org/strobel2023.