Nearly 300 community members packed a sold-out venue at Stone Harbor Resort & Conference Center in Sturgeon Bay Wednesday evening to honor all volunteers during the 2024 Golden Heart Awards celebration. The 22nd annual event was coordinated by the United Way of Door County and presented by the Wisconsin Public Service Foundation. Seven categories of volunteers or groups were honored among several nominees and awarded a Golden Heart. The evening’s festivities began with Brian Stephens of Door County Medical Center awarding the Adult Volunteer of the Year to Susan Morgan for her work at Unity Hospice.
Other Golden Heart award winners included Northern Sky Theater’s Raise the Curtain—Light the Sky Committee for “Arts”, Door County Historical Society Lighthouse Committee for “Culture”, Bill Wolff for “Environmental Stewardship”, Door Tran Volunteer Drivers for “Group”, and the late Bob Perlewitz who passed away last July for the “Karl May Lifetime of Service Award” from the Sturgeon Bay Noon Rotary Club.
Two high school students were honored with $500 Youth Scholarships as well. Helen McCormack from Gibraltar and Abiageal Tooley of Southern Door for their volunteering, including mentoring and tutoring work.