United Way of Porter County recognized Dr. Roy Austensen and Larry and Sue Raber as recipients of the 2008 Dorothy M. Porter Outstanding Volunteer Award at its Campaign Celebration on March 13th at the Porter County Expo Center. This award is bestowed upon individuals who are committed to service above self, and give so significantly, that no other award is appropriate. This award is the highest form of volunteer recognition from United Way of Porter County.
"Because of our 50th Anniversary, we presented two Dorothy M. Porter Awards," said Sharon Kish, President of United Way. "We are very fortunate to have Dr. Roy Austensen and Mr. and Mrs. Larry Raber in the United Way family. They are committed to the Porter County community, and we value their achievements and leadership within our organization."
Dr. Roy Austensen was a member of the United Way Board from 2000 to 2006 and served as Board Chair in 2006. During 2007, Austensen remained active with United Way and accepted the role of chairing the $100,000 Endowment Challenge Committee. Under his leadership, the committee surpassed the goal and raised $170,000, which ultimately took the Endowment Fund over the $1 Million Dollar mark. Professionally, he has been Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Valparaiso University since 1992. He is also a professor of history and teaches courses in modern European history. In addition to functioning as the University's chief academic officer, his responsibilities include supervision of student affairs, admissions, financial aid, business and financial affairs, and information technology.
The second Dorothy M. Porter Award was presented to Larry and Sue Raber. Larry has been involved with United Way for over 30 years. When he was the 1976 Campaign Chair, the United Way experienced a 27% increase in funding, the largest percentage of annual growth in the history of Porter County. He served as Board Chair in 1978 and is currently a member of the Planned Giving Committee. In 2001, he introduced his wife, Sue, to the organization. "They promote United Way to businesses and individuals throughout the entire year, and we are happy to recognize Larry and Sue as the first couple to receive the award," added Kish.
In addition to United Way, Larry has been a Rotarian since 1964. He is a past president of the Valparaiso Chamber of Commerce, chaired the Popcorn Festival, was secretary of the Economic Development Corporation, and President of the Community Concert Association. Sue is a consultant with Premier Designs Jewelry, and she is also a Chamber ambassador.
Past recipients of the Dorothy M. Porter Outstanding Volunteer Award include Barbara A. Young, Larry Klemz, Paul Gipson, Lonnie Steele, Richard Brychell, Walt Ailes, Dr. Michael Benway, Wayne Welter, Chuck Worden, William P. Hanna, James Jorgensen and Sandra Mannakee.
United Way of Porter County improves lives by mobilizing the caring power of the Porter County community through financial and volunteer resource development. United Way invests contributions in programs and services that save and change more than 62,000 lives in Porter County each year.
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