Louise Knecht, (Left), from the Boone County Health Dept receives the Community Partner Award from Jacqui Herran, Board Director, for her assistance in working with families through Arc Rehab's WIC program for women, infants and children.
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BY WHITNEY JUCKNO,The Lebanon Reporter
Arc Rehab Services honored staff members and volunteers at its annual banquet Monday. Among those recognized were Megan Smith and Charlene Henry, winners of the Achiever of the Year award in their particular programs this past year, as well as Arc Rehab board members. Special awards went to Elizabeth Crouch for 10 years of service; Janette Proctor for 30 years of service; Karen Williams received the staff recognition award for outstanding dedication; Judy Clark won the Volunteer of the Year award; Louise Knecht received the Community Partner award for her support of Arc Rehab; and John Graft and Minute Print It won the award for Business of the Year. Brent Cardin, Executive Director of Arc Rehab Services, said the luncheon and awards were meant to honor staff who had "gone above and beyond the call of duty." and awards were given to those who have shown support for the organization in the community helping it to achieve its mission over the years.
Louise Knecht, (Left), from the Boone County Health Dept receives the Community Partner Award from Jacqui Herran, Board Director, for her assistance in working with families through Arc Rehab's WIC program for women, infants and children.
Arc Rehab Services has been serving the community for more than 36 years, he said, and the organization has been having its annual luncheon for nearly 25 years. Knecht said she felt honored to receive the Community Partner award. "I almost started to cry," she said. Knecht has been a nurse for nearly 20 years and has worked in the Emergency Room, in critical care and in rehabilitation. She was a manager of 11 public health clinics in the under-served population of East St. Louis before relocating to Lebanon seven years ago. Now an employee of the Boone County Health Department, Knecht is involved in several organizations, including Women, Infants and Children (WIC) and First Steps. She said part of her job is making sure mothers and families understand the medical options available for them in the way of pre-natal care. Knecht went on to add that she mainly focuses on helping to break down barriers to "achieve better outcomes for the mother and baby," she said. "(The desire to help others) just comes naturally when you’ve been involved personally and professionally," she said. "I work with so many good people and I’ve been involved with so many good people. They do so many good things in the community - I don’t know that I’d be able to pick just one person (for this award)." Crouch, WIC voucher clerk and Arc Rehab Services Health and Safety Chair, said her experiences with both organizations had been tremendous "because everyone here is so committed." Crouch was honored for 10 years of service in helping Arc Rehab achieve its mission of helping others. An employee of WIC for more than 10 years, Crouch said she helps women with low income find access to food vouchers and to nutritional education. "We just want healthy women and babies," she said. Crouch has worked with Arc Rehab since its proposal to operate WIC’s program in Boone County was accepted a little more than 10 years ago.
Brent Cardin, the executive director of Arc Rehab, gives the opening speech at the 2006 Arc Rehab Annual Banquet Monday. The luncheon honored Arc volunteers and staff members for outstanding achievement and support. Reporter photo by Whitney Juckno /
Proctor was also honored for her long-time commitment to Arc Rehab. Serving the organization for 30 years, she has been at the forefront of a number of projects, most recently being a co-sponsor for the Lebanon Aktion Club, a Kiwanis service club for people with disabilities. Williams was recognized for her dedication as an Arc staff member, an honor which was voted upon by her co-workers. The program supervisor for the Mainstreet Enterprises, she has been with the organization since 2001. Clark and Graft were not available to accept their awards. However, Clark’s daughter accepted in her honor. Part of the Habilitation Training Program, Clark works weekly with small groups on educational activities. Graft, a founder and a committee member of the Community Vision Committee, has been involved in several community projects. He was honored for his involvement with Arc, namely providing contract work to be done at Arc’s work center, and the hiring of the a janitorial crew for the organization’s clients to get skill training. Last year, Graft also had Arc Rehab bring in special needs students from Western Boone School Corporation to get hands-on experience in custodial work.