Teamwork Makes the Dream Work: Volunteer of the Year
By Morgan Kelly
At Project Chimps, teamwork makes the dream work. On Saturday, April 19th, we held our annual Volunteer Luncheon, where we celebrated the hard work of our amazing volunteers. We also recognized those who really went above and beyond this year with awards for most chimp care, kitchen, and vet care hours. We are especially excited to honor our Volunteer of the Year!
Three Cheers for Volunteers
The Volunteer Luncheon is an opportunity to recognize some of the outstanding people who donate their time and energy to us. It is a time to celebrate the teamwork that goes on behind the scenes and in the foreground.
Volunteers at Project Chimps work all across the sanctuary. They may work in landscaping, chimpanzee care, or chimp enrichment. Or they might take pictures for our social media, direct fundraising projects, or lead educational tours. Regardless of their speciality — or their assignment — we are so grateful for every single one of them.
We’re honored to award our 2025 volunteers who worked the most hours in their separate divisions:
- Chimp Chef: Michael Lawton
- Monkey Wrench: Steve Mango
- Guiding Star: Debbie Barton
- Down and Dirty: Candy Retter
- Helping Hands: ML Daly & Alton Jones
- Gifty Giver: Pete Cutter
- Out & About: Kathie Fazekas
- Far, Far Away: Harriet Gallu
- Super Trekker: Marty Engelstad
- Party Primate: Alice Bergmen
- Kool & The Gang: Christine Ramsey
These selfless people have gone above and beyond this year in each of their specializations. But volunteers aren’t confined to just one area. In fact, our Volunteer of the Year has worked in almost every division at Project Chimps!
Volunteer of the Year
Every year, staff members nominate exceptional people for the Volunteer of the Year award. A committee of staff members and other enlistees then carefully consider who made the biggest impact over the past 365 days. We’re very excited to announce that the recipient of the 2025 Volunteer of the Year award is Jill Nielson!
Jill is basically a superhuman. Outside of volunteering, she works as a nurse practitioner. A busy schedule, to be sure, but she still makes time for Project Chimps! Her cohorts describe her as brilliant, compassionate, and just a wonderful person to work with.
You might recognize Jill if you’ve been on a tour of the sanctuary. She works primarily in the vet clinic, but she is also a high-level tour guide at the sanctuary. She has been volunteering with Project Chimps for six and a half years! Jill has spent over 1,900 hours putting in the work to make sure the chimps here in the Blue Ridge Mountains get the best life possible.
Jill says that her time at Project Chimps has meant so much to her. When asked why she continues to work at the sanctuary, she responded: “It’s an incredible honor to be recognized as Volunteer of the Year. My time at the sanctuary has been deeply rewarding, and I’m filled with gratitude for every opportunity to connect with these truly individual and remarkable chimpanzees. Each interaction has been a gift, and I’m thankful to be a small part of their lives.”
We’re thankful that Jill is a large part of our lives here at the sanctuary!
Teamwork Makes the Dream Work
We wish we could give an award to everyone! Our volunteers are the reason we can provide excellent lifelong care to chimpanzees retired from research. It truly would not be possible without all of their dedication, hard work, and passion. So, to our volunteers:
From the bottom of our hearts, thank you!
Want to make the dream work? Join our team! Volunteers at Project Chimps are making a difference in the lives of chimpanzees and the Blue Ridge community. We’re especially excited to work with volunteers in our new garden installment and in our renovated kitchen!
