By COLE REIF
Great Bend Post
National Volunteer Month is the month of April which lands at a good time for the Barton County Health Department. The Health Department has been assisted by volunteers at each of the COVID-19 vaccination clinics that have been held almost weekly since January.
Health Director Karen Winkelman says
these volunteers have served countless hours in wind, rain and freezing
temperatures providing assistance. Winkelman thanked several individuals for
their efforts and humor and presented each with a plaque at Monday’s Barton
County Commission meeting.
"Every volunteer now owns a pair of coveralls if they did not already," joked Winkelman. "I need a hard number, was a phrase I heard so many times. We all know pickle juice freezes and we know how to keep a pizza warm on the engine of a car."
Those volunteers assisted, in some way, in delivering 5,175 prime and 3,548
booster doses of COVID-19 vaccinations as of Monday morning.
Commission Chair
Jim Daily says people stepping up is just the way this county operates.
"This is so reminiscent of how folks in Barton County pull together when there is an issue," said Barton County Commission Chair Jim Daily. "We really appreciate every one of you."
Winkelman presented appreciation awards to Kathy Krier, Roger Krier, Kyle
Schartz, Duane Reif, Deb Reif, Preston Moore, Alison Moore, Dena Popp, Donna
Zimmerman, Great Bend EMS, Barton County Sheriff’s Office including Randy
Smith, Shawn Hutchinson and Kirby Krier.