Local Volunteer Receives National 'Volunteer of the Year' Award
HOUSTON, TX — Today Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) honored exceptional affiliates, staff, and volunteers for their contributions to women’s health, sex education, and reproductive rights at the annual Affiliate Excellence and Volunteer Awards luncheon. PPFA President Cecile Richards gave the keynote address at the awards ceremony, held during the Planned Parenthood National Conference.
“Our dedicated employees and volunteers are the backbone of Planned Parenthood,” said Richards. “Without their unyielding commitment, Planned Parenthood would be unable to provide high-quality, affordable reproductive health care services and education to millions of women, men, and teens each year.”
Among those honored was Paul Burstadt of Rocky River, Ohio, who received PPFA’s Volunteer of the Year Award for his service in the area of information technology.
A long-time Planned Parenthood supporter and volunteer, Paul Burstadt took his volunteerism to a new level during the past two years. When the five Northeast Ohio Planned Parenthood affiliates prepared to merge in July 2007, Paul was approached about managing the integration of the Information Technology (IT) department. Although he declined a paid project management role, he agreed to “help a little behind the scenes.” This quickly grew to more than 1,500 hours of service. Since completion of the merger, Paul has maintained his volunteer position and has become a near permanent fixture at PPNEO, volunteering an average of 100 hours each month.
“I’ve been involved as a volunteer on-and-off for 25 years,” said Paul Burstadt. “Over the past two years, I’ve really enjoyed working with professionals so committed to a cause they believe in. Although challenging, it has also been fun to utilize my creativity and knowledge in an environment with limited financial resources.”
Paul’s primary role has been related to building PPNEO’s Information Technology (IT) capacity. Drawing on his background in aerospace research and development at NASA, he shepherded the process of interconnecting five separate organizations, building a wide-area network, expanding the VoIP system, merging client and supporter databases, and assisting with the launch of the Customer Contact Center. He continues to support the help desk and troubleshoots technology issues. He has also been known to assist with public policy initiatives, visibility events, phone banking and community canvassing.
“Paul has been an outstanding volunteer for many years,” said Tara Broderick, PPNEO’s President/CEO. “He has worked tirelessly to ensure that PPNEO has secure, state-of-the-art technology that fulfills the needs of our clients, supporters and staff. Without him, the integration of PPNEO’s (Information Technology) systems would have taken much longer. We are grateful for his support and friendship.”
Paul Burstadt received Volunteer of the Year Award at PPFA’s National Conference in Houston, Texas. He was accompanied by his wife Jan Beeman, a former manager at Planned Parenthood of Greater Cleveland, and daughter Jody Glaser, a member of the Development team at Planned Parenthood of Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota. PPNEO Chairman of the Board Barbara Singhaus and President/CEO Tara Broderick were also in attendance.
Planned Parenthood of Northeast Ohio (PPNEO) provides essential reproductive health care, family planning services and sexuality education to women and men at 17 health centers in 21 counties throughout Northeast Ohio. PPNEO strengthens individuals, families and communities by promoting healthy and responsible decision-making about parenthood, relationships and sexual health. For more information about PPNEO and our services, visit www.ppneo.org.
