Lue Jolly, an extension specialist at FAMU, recently received the Presidential Volunteer Service Award (Gold Category) at a ceremony sponsored by the John Ogonowski & Doug Bereuter Farmer-to-Farmer Program in Washington, D.C.The President’s Volunteer Service Award program was established in 2003 by the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation (The Council) for the purpose of giving recognition and honor to Americans who have served communities with dedication and commitment. The award recognizes individuals, families, and groups who have achieved a certain volunteer standard – measured by the number of hours of service over a 12-month period or cumulative hours earned over the course of a lifetime.
Jolly was recognized for outstanding volunteer service rendered while participating with the FAMU South Africa Farmer-to-Farmer (FTF) Program at the University of Fort Hare (UFH), March 5-25, 2010. During her volunteer assignment, Jolly provided technical assistance in food safety management at the UFH’s AgriPark Project in the Eastern Cape Province, in the small town of Alice, South Africa. On this first assignment, Jolly provided training in best practices for food safety, food hygiene, nutrition and new recipe development for the Khanyisa Vegetable Processing Cooperative.
When asked what made Jolly a good volunteer for the Fort Hare assignment, program director Harriett Paul said, “Ms. Jolly was ideal because of her strong background in the technical areas needed, which included: food safety, nutrition, and new product development. We are also continuously looking for new methods to promote the involvement of women and underrepresented minorities. Through example, we will demonstrate to our South African beneficiaries both that women can excel as leaders in the agricultural sector and that education is a critical element in this growth process.”
Jolly’s response to winning the gold award was, “I was quite surprised with this announcement as this was my first volunteer experience. I am looking forward to participating again to provide advanced training for the people that I worked with in South Africa.”