We are so blessed with amazing volunteers.  We have thousands supporting our work in developing countries, many of whom help in the assembly and distribution of our wheelchairs. We have hundreds of volunteers spread around the USA who help us raise awareness and support. We have scores of volunteers here in Orange County who come to our office, many weekly, to do whatever is needed.  

We decided to initiate a special way to thank, highlight and recognize our wonderful volunteers. How about a “Volunteer of the Year” award? It needed a better name than that. What if we named it after one of our most awesome volunteers, a person who has done so much for Free Wheelchair Mission, year after year? That would have to be Jim Franklin, chairman of our Board of Directors. So, in honor of his service dedication to the cause, this year we created the Franklin Award, and decided that each year it would be presented to the volunteer of the year.    

Well, that was easy…now the hard part was picking the first award recipient from our many dedicated volunteers – from a list of so many great supporters, who should we select to honor this inaugural year?  

Ah, we have it! The first ever Franklin Award was given with great appreciation to volunteer of the year, Margaret Watkins. Margaret has been an amazing presence at Free Wheelchair Mission since our doors first opened, helping to represent our organization graciously, taking on over the years a wide variety of tasks from large to small.  She helps us get silent auction items. She helps package our events. She calls donors. She folds mail. She tells our story to everyone she meets. The list goes on and on. So readers, let me present our first recipient of the Franklin Award: Margaret Watkins.

“On August 29, at a Free Wheelchair Mission dinner to honor volunteers, I was blessed by an amazing, humbling, and unexpected honor.  The organization chose me to receive the first annual Franklin Award.  What an incredible joy to be honored for work I love to do and take so much pleasure. Through all my involvement in this organization, I have never lost excitement for the people involved and have a deep commitment to the mission of this organization and it ever shall be in my life.” 

~  Margaret Watkins