Community volunteer, Cindy Filips has shared over a decade of service, helping local organization Keep Yankton Beautiful (KYB) fulfill their mission of improving our community through recycling education and promotion, clean-up efforts and beautification projects.
Because of her outstanding commitment to KYB and dedication to many other local nonprofit organizations, United Way & Volunteer Services of Greater Yankton was honored to present Cynthia “Cindy” Filips with the April 2022 Volunteer of the Month Award.
According to Sarah Gehm, KYB Executive Director, “Cindy is one of the most active volunteers on our board, eager to help with practically any task that arises. Cindy rolls up her sleeves to assist with so many projects, like planting flowers within downtown planters, participating in story time collaborations with the Yankton Library, and repurposing ornaments hung on the Mead Historical Building holiday tree. She has also directed traffic during Household Hazardous Waste Events, cruised in a golf cart collecting trash during Riverboat Days, and has driven hundreds of pounds of denim across the country to be recycled! If there is a stack of flyers that needs to be distributed around town, Cindy does it! If there's a baby during the board meeting that needs to be held, Cindy is the first to extend her arms. She and her husband, Jim, are an enthusiastic and hard-working duo who continuously strive to Keep Yankton Beautiful all year long!”
We asked Cindy to share more about her volunteerism.
“My husband Jim and I moved to Yankton in 2001 as part of our retirement plans and to be closer to our mothers.
I began volunteering in Norfolk before moving to Yankton and was active in promoting recycling efforts there before it was ever a household word. After moving here, I first started volunteering at the Yankton College office and that resulted in an opportunity to be on my first board, the YC Alumni Advisory Board.
My husband and I like to have a variety of things to do and appreciate that Yankton and United Way provide many different opportunities, such as The Clothing Closet, stocking The Big Red Bookshelf, and helping other non-profits fulfill their missions. We drove the DAV van for over 10 years, are TEAM volunteers at Avera Sacred Heart Hospital one morning a week and help with evening meals at The Center. I love being involved in all the different KYB activities and related activities which also led to involvement with the Missouri River cleanup event. I have also been the person to volunteer to hang up posters all over town for different community events.
I volunteer somewhere between 25 to 45 hours a month.
Volunteering gives me a warm fuzzy feeling, it brightens my day, and it is a great way to give back to my community. Yankton is blessed to have so many, wonderful and caring volunteers and we have been fortunate to have the opportunity to get to know these folks through involvement with United Way’s Retired and Senior Volunteer Program.
You will never regret your involvement in volunteering! If you need help or encouragement to get started, please visit Tom Kurtenbach, RSVP Project Coordinator at United Way. He can help you figure out how to best use your skills and interests… as well as provide many volunteer opportunities for you to explore.”
Thank you, Cindy for your extraordinary efforts.
To learn more about local volunteer opportunities or to nominate a Volunteer of the Month, please visit www.yanktonunitedway.org/volunteer , email info@yanktonunitedway.org or call United Way of Greater Yankton at (605) 665-6766.
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