Three Cheers for Starlight Volunteers
It was a night of celebration Oct. 24 as Starlight Theatre leaders and staff hosted a dinner and awards ceremony to recognize the hard work and dedicated service of 199 Starlight volunteers.
With more event nights than ever in 2016, including four indoor shows last January, 42 nights of summer Broadway shows and 28 summer concert dates, as well as special events and duties ranging from tending Starlight gardens to decorating for cast parties, Starlight Ambassadors amassed a total of 8,234 hours of volunteer service from October 2015 through September 2016.
“In our busiest season ever, Starlight could not have given our guests the world-class service they expect without the help of our Ambassadors,” said Nick Riojas, Starlight operations manager. “We thank all Starlight Ambassadors for an outstanding year in 2016 and look forward to even more accomplishments to celebrate in 2017.”
At the October event, Ambassadors enjoyed a buffet dinner, participated in photo opportunities and won door prizes throughout the night. They reminisced about their Starlight volunteer experiences as a photo-collage presentation played, and they were the first to view Starlight’s new Ambassador recruitment video created by Ambassador Recruitment and Retention co-captain Stuart Lebow.
As the evening concluded, awards were presented to top performers by Ambassador Advisory Board captain Melissa Weston and co-captain Brian Tunks, as well as Starlight operations leaders Riojas and Justin White. Individual honorees were:
Don Woodson Award
Adrian Smith
Ambassador of the Year Nominees
Carol Petrus & Jennifer Gilbert
Kylie Hemme
Laura Schierhoff
Janet Tenley
Rookies of the Year
Jeff DeMarco & Bill Ruby
Special Events Shining Stars
Janice Beydler
Joanne Muren
VaLinda Novak
Adrian Smith
Cast Party Shining Stars
Mary Lou Perry
Laura Schierhoff
Joanne Sherry
Janet Tenley
Venue Tours Shining Stars
Janice Beydler
Kandi Oberlander
Ovation Gift Shop Shining Stars
Anne Anderson
Broadway Usher Shining Stars
Amy Brown
Jeff DeMarco
Cari Dodson
Kylie Hemme
Bob Martinez
Carlene Tresnak
Nancy Woolworth
Horticulture Shining Star
Ronda Goodwin (Golden Shovel Award)
Spotlight Stage Shining Stars
Jan Naylor
Verna Orem
Kathy Welsh
Concert Usher Shining Stars
Anne Anderson
Joe Arri
Darin Bower
Tom Otey
Kent Richards
Marie Spaniol
Katrina Taggart
Carlene Tresnak
Recruitment Shining Stars
Stuart Lebow
Joe Liccar
To learn more about the Starlight Ambassador program and volunteer opportunities for 2017, visit our web page and view our Ambassador recruitment video, email ambassadors@kcstarlight.com or call 816.997.1163.