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| Vol. 18, No. 33 | May 27, 1999 |
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| Vol. 18, No. 33 | May 27, 1999 |
Two members of the University community, Keith Handling, athletics, and junior Kelly Schwartz, were selected as 1999 recipients of the Governor's Outstanding Volunteer Award in Delaware. Both were honored at a dinner on April 22, where Gov. Thomas R. Carper made his presentations.
Handling, head athletic trainer, has been a volunteer with Special Olympics for 26 years and has played a large part in creating and maintaining a partnership between UD and the Special Olympics. Handling has held various management positions with the organization, including executive director and world games chairperson. In 1997, he was the third volunteer inducted into the Special Olympics Hall of Fame.
"I feel greatly honored to have been chosen for this award," Handling said. "I feel I am really accepting this award on behalf of all the students in my adaptive physical education classes, student athletic trainers and the University community who have helped organize and run Delaware Special Olympic events held on our campus for the past 25 years."
The Student Athletic Trainer Club hosts the Delaware Special Olympics soccer tournament in the fall, and Handling's adaptive physical education class hosts the organization's basketball tournament in the spring.
"The adaptive physical education class introduces physical education majors to people with disabilities and gives them hands-on experience," he said.
"It makes the students feel good to be an active part of such a large volunteer effort," Handling said.
Schwartz, a communication major and member of the First State Mentor Corps, was selected in recognition of her work with Girls Inc.
"I was very honored to be selected for this award," Schwartz said. "I also was surprised, because my work with the after-school program is what I want to do with my life, and I didn't expect to be honored for it."
Schwartz began volunteering for Girls Inc. last spring. She devotes more than 10 hours a week to the program.
According to Lisa Diller, First State Mentor Corp director, Schwartz joined AmeriCorps, a national service program that includes a two-year commitment of 900 hours of tutoring or mentoring elementary and middle school children.
"Kelly took the one-credit 'Mentoring for Change' class that I taught last spring," Diller said. "She became a teaching assistant for the class this past fall. She became part of AmeriCorps in January. She is lively and she puts a lot of energy into her mentoring. I think it is a great honor for the University for a student to be chosen for the volunteer award at the young age of 20," Diller added. 
-Gail E. Walford
