Priority Health recognizes four Michigan senior volunteers

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., Sept. 28, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Priority Health is recognizing four regional winners with Senior Impact Awards. The awards program recognizes volunteers 63 years and older who devote their time and energy toward improving their communities. As part of this recognition, Priority Health awards a $1,000 donation to each winner's volunteer organization.

The 2012 award recipients and their volunteer organizations are:

• William Harris of Antrim County, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwestern Michigan
• Clarenda Webb of Wayne County, Grandmont Rosedale Development Corporation
• Frank Wolf of Kalamazoo County, Kalamazoo Institute of Arts
• Joe Valenta of Midland County, Midland Community Center

"By creating these awards we're able to see the incredible work that's being done in our communities," said Michael P. Freed, president and CEO for Priority Health. "Each winner and nominee is an inspiration for each of us."

Priority Health partnered with both the United Way and Volunteer Centers of Michigan throughout the state to identify senior volunteers, collect nominations and select winners. The award winners are chosen based on their ability to inspire and motivate others and their exceptional contributions.

For the first time this year, community members could cast their votes online for the top 10 nominees selected in each region by visiting the Priority Health Medicare Facebook page. The online votes along with the votes of an independent group of community members were tallied to select a winner from the top 10 in each region. The program received more than 100 nominations this year.

About the Senior Impact Award recipients:
William Harris of Antrim County
Harris has served as a volunteer with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwestern Michigan since 2006. He has served as a mentor, advocate and fundraiser for the organization, helping recruit volunteers and financial resources at critical times. At age 67, he's helped hundreds of children in the Traverse City area, including his own Little Brother, Dylan, the young man Bill has mentored since 2007.

Clarenda Webb of Wayne County
Webb has volunteered more than 6,000 hours with the Grandmont Rosedale Development Corporation (GRDC) in just the past four years, addressing issues related to crime and safety, vacant properties and foreclosure, and neighborhood beautification. At age 69, she regularly dedicates at least 30 hours each week to GRDC activities.

Frank Wolf of Kalamazoo County
Wolf has served as a Kalamazoo Institute of Arts (KIA) docent since 1997. At age 76, he has volunteered thousands of hours for human service, arts and conservation organizations throughout Kalamazoo County. He had an integral role in launching Touch Art Tours, a program that enables blind and vision impaired visitors to experience art and sculpture through touch at the KIA.

Joe Valenta of Midland County
Valenta has been an active volunteer in Midland County since retiring from The Dow Chemical Company in 1980. At age 97, he regularly greets visitors to the Midland Community Center with a friendly smile and assists the center's staff by making copies, stuffing envelopes, making courtesy calls or brewing a fresh pot of coffee for art class participants.

Pictures and details about each award recipient are available on priorityhealth.com or upon request.

About Priority Health
Priority Health is an award-winning health plan nationally recognized for creating innovative solutions that impact health care costs while maximizing customer experience. It offers a broad portfolio of products for employer groups and individuals including Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries. As a nonprofit company, Priority Health serves more than 600,000 people and continues to be rated among the best health plans in the nation by the National Committee for Quality Assurance.

SOURCE Priority Health