Past Cindy Johnson Volunteer Award Recipients

2024 – Jane and John Nickodemus

For well over a decade, Jane and John Nickodemus have been dedicated and humble supporters of the NEF, from volunteering their time to generously giving their resources both financial and tangible. Both Jane and John co-chaired the Annual NEF Auction for two years from 2017 to 2018, and played a pivotal role in helping the event grow exponentially during that time. They set a high-bar for future committees across the board with their professionalism, enthusiasm, and fantastic combined stage presence. Jane was an NEF Board Member for three years from 2017 through 2019, spending countless hours building and executing events, and as an ambassador for the organization spreading awareness through outreach activity. Jane helped start ‘NEF Coffee and Conversations,’ and Jane hosted the first one. These small events served as a way to bring people together to educate them on our mission, fundraising activities and to develop new volunteers. Ever the committed supporter of all things good in our city, John has been an active participant in the annual NEF Golf Tournament and Monte Carlo/Poker fundraisers. He also donated countless sets of tickets and rounds of golf to the golf tournament’s silent auction, a crucial part of its success.

2023 – Alicia Stephenson and Kate Newman

In 2017, Alicia created the first of many annual reports for the NEF. She designed a format/template that could be used both on our website and in print and could proudly be presented to past and potential donors. Since then, now in its 6th iteration, Alicia has donated her time each spring to create a new report. She has dedicated her professional skills to design a piece that shares the impact the NEF has had on our schools through photos, a clean and modern layout, and graphics that clearly communicate our message.

2022 – Greg Coir and Scott Cuticchia

Greg Coir and Scott Cuticchia have become synonymous with the NEF Golf Open, first as players and then chairing the annual event. This dynamic duo has elevated both the tournament’s orchestration and financial success. They have done so by bringing in an incredible level of energy and enthusiasm with a commitment to creating a well-attended, fun event for all participants. Their focus on increasing the level of sponsorships year over year made the golf tournament the NEF’s second largest fundraiser of the year. In addition to their work on the golf tournament, Scott and Greg have both spent immeasurable hours coaching in town; Scott coaches soccer, travel basketball, and baseball and Greg has coached boys and girls soccer, boys and girls lacrosse, and baseball.

2021 – Kacey Oreal

Kacey led the class donation effort for the NEFs annual Lighthouse Auction for several years, culminating in thousands of dollars in donations. Class baskets became the heart and soul of the auction under Kacey’s leadership and creativity. Kacey’s quick email responses and attention to detail allowed her to effortlessly communicate with a large number of parents from Kindergarten to High School as she led the class donation effort. In addition, Kacey spent a good deal of time on back-end system work in Silent Auction Pro, another tedious yet critical function for auction success. Kacey would repeatedly ask what else she could do to help and her volunteer efforts are unequivocally part of the auction’s overarching success.

2020 – Tim Fountain

Tim has been a staple at the NEF Lighthouse Auction and various other events for at least eight years. He has volunteered as a bartender, technology guru, and our emcee for two years. At those two auctions, NEF raised more money than any other, primarily due to his wit and passion for public education. Fountain is also a member of the singing group, The Portermen, who performed locally and donated tips received to the NEF.

2019 – Sue-Ellen Lamb

Sue-Ellen has volunteered in many different roles within the NEF. She was an active board member who developed our existing website and spent countless hours keeping the website updated with events, news and new graphics. Sue-Ellen has been an irreplaceable part of our Lighthouse Auction team, running the critical check-in/check-out function. The work that Sue-Ellen does for the auction receives no fanfare and is for the most part behind the scenes. She is regarded as a quiet, collaborative workhorse whose work is responsible for the success of our biggest fundraiser of the year.

2018 – BlakeLee Greene

BlakeLee brought her boundless energy and positive attitude to the NEF and has had a tremendous impact on the organization over the past 11 years. In its infancy, BlakeLee held coffees to get the word out about the NEF and its mission. She was the chair of the first “Ask” event that raised money for the literacy campaign and she ran the “Love of Music” fundraiser to fund the music lab at the Nock. BlakeLee most recently served as the chair of the Outreach Committee, recruited volunteers, and solicited donations.

2017 – Tuna Sava

Tuna has been behind the bar at countless NEF events over the last several years. Years ago, he volunteered to take the TIPS certification necessary to allow the NEF to run its own bar at special events. He has managed the bar for multiple Auctions, Poker Nights and other events. He is always quick to say “Yes” when he is asked to help out and takes charge of setting up the bar, recruiting additional bartenders, and cleaning up at the end of the evening. Tuna is incredibly professional and reliable; and a fabulous addition to every event team.