On April 23, 2025, we celebrated our volunteers with the Apparo Volunteer Appreciation and Impact Award Celebration.
At Apparo, we depend on our skilled volunteers to work with our nonprofits. Every year in April, we celebrate by having nonprofits nominate their favorite individual volunteer and their favorite group. We celebrated at Birdsong Brewery, not just our winners, but all of Apparo’s volunteers who have made an impact over the years.
The Individual Volunteer award went to Matthew Galimi.
He was nominated by Anne Mautner, Founder and Executive Director of The Kindness Closet for his work with the G.A.I.N. powered by Lowe’s program. Matthew could not attend, so Nancy Galimi and Camila Castro accepted the award on his behalf.
Anne shared, “Matthew Galimi has gone above and beyond as a mentor in the GAIN program. He has been present on every call, answering questions and patiently guiding me through unfamiliar technology. He walked me through setting up a free Microsoft account and organized the transfer of all our emails and files, saving us significant costs. During our office setup, Matthew assisted with everything from setting up our Ring Central phone system to coordinating Spectrum for wiring. He recommended secure hardware, personally visited to set up our network, and arranged for internet installation in our warehouse. He also contributed valuable advice during tech planning calls with Coca-Cola. Matthew even formatted two laptops, going beyond what the GAIN program required. His expertise, kindness, and dedication have made a huge impact on our organization in just two months. The Kindness Closet is incredibly fortunate to have him as a mentor.”
The Group Award was given to the Bank of America Team, including Monica Gale, Darnita Cistrunk, Rupa Paregi, Selina Almasarwah, Anna Pathi, Amarra Ghani, plus student volunteer Ronit Dey.
The group was nominated by Elizabeth Kurtz, Executive Director of Charlotte Family Housing.
“We desperately needed a new donor management software. Our legacy software was -literally – decades old and no longer served our needs. We didn’t know where to start. The team at Bank of America carefully listened to our needs and challenges, asked thorough and detailed questions about our needs and wants, and about all the ways we use the software. They spent weeks narrowing the questions and crafting a detailed scope. They then identified 13 potential options, narrowed it to 4 and walked us through product demos, helping us select a state-of-the art-solution for our growing organization. They were nothing short of amazing! They listened carefully, and did all the legwork to help us select the best option for our needs. Having their technical expertise ensured that we got the solution that best fit our needs. The Bank of America team did what they do best – designing software solutions and freed us up to do what we do best – lifting working families out of poverty. THANK YOU, TEAM!” Elizabeth shared.
Apparo Program and Volunteer Manager, Sarah Friday, and Project Coordinator, Allison Lavallee also gave out superlatives to those volunteers who they felt went above and beyond!
Josh Glassberg, who was in attendance, received the “Most Passionate Problem-Solver,” superlative award for his boundless enthusiasm in tackling challenges.
Brooke Loehrig, who was also in attendance, received the “Team Builder Extraordinaire,” superlative award for fostering collaboration and camaraderie.
The remaining superlative volunteer award winners:
| Superlative | Volunteer |
| “Mastermind of Innovation.” – For the most creative problem-solver | Ross Feldman |
| “Tech Magician” – For making complex challenges disappear like magic | Jonathan Waites |
| “Most Likely to Save the Day”: For consistently stepping in during critical moments | Eric Hoffman |
| “Always-On Hero” – For being dependable and responsive at all times | Mike Flanagan |
| “Rock of Reliability”: For consistently delivering exceptional work | Brian Hinkle & Kevin Harris |
| “Guide Through the Tech Maze” – For excellent mentoring or leadership | Brad Richmond |
| “Most Likely to Lead the Charge” – For taking initiative on challenging projects | Bill Hammelman |
| “Spreadsheet Sorcerer” – For exceptional mastery of Excel and data tools | Mario Field |
Thank you to all of our volunteers who make Apparo’s work possible. See all photos from the event.
Interested in learning more about the work our volunteers have done? Read their spotlights.
