KNOXVILLE, TN – In honor of National Volunteer Week, this week, Department of Energy (DOE) Assistant Secretary for Environmental Management Jim Rispoli recognized Karen Patterson with the President’s Volunteer Service Award during a ceremony in Knoxville, Tennessee.  Ms. Patterson has devoted over 100 hours of community service as chair of the Savannah River Site-Specific Advisory Board, providing advice and recommendations to DOE’s environmental restoration and waste management activities at the Savannah River site.  She has been a member of the Board since 1996. 

 

“Those honored this week set a high standard for all Americans and should be proud of their service, sacrifice and generosity.  We are very fortunate, as a nation, and the Department of Energy recognizes the importance of volunteerism.  I want to thank Karen, volunteers honored this week, and volunteers nationwide who play a key role in making this nation so great,” Secretary Bodman said.

 

Ms. Patterson is an environmental scientist who holds Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees in Biology.  She is employed by Tetra Tech NUS in Aiken, South Carolina, at the Savannah River Site.  She analyzes industrial releases to the environment and assesses the impacts of those releases as a consultant to a contractor at SRS.  In addition to her volunteer work on the Savannah River Board, Ms. Patterson is the Secretary of the Lakes and Watershed Association of South Carolina and a member of the South Carolina Nature Conservancy and American Nuclear Society.  She is president-elect of the Aiken Unitarian Universalist Church where she resides in Aiken, South Carolina. 

 

As part of a broader effort to recognize individuals in honor of National Volunteer Week, Secretary of Energy Samuel W. Bodman and senior DOE leadership traveling the country this week, will present a total of 14 DOE employees with the President’s Volunteer Award.  

 

President George W. Bush has called on all Americans to volunteer two years or 4,000 hours over the course of their lifetime. Through the USA Freedom Corps, President Bush wants to help every American answer the Call to Service by strengthening and expanding service opportunities to protect our homeland, support our communities and extend American compassion around the world.  Interested volunteers can find information on the USA Freedom Corps at http://www.freedomcorps.gov/ or by calling 1-877-USA-CORPS.