Maria Theresa Woffinden, affectionately known as Tetea to her fellow AmeriCorps members and friends, had the honor of being the recipient of the AmeriCorps Member of the Year Award at the State Volunteer Service Awards Ceremony in April of 2010. This award is presented yearly by the Utah Commission on Volunteers.
Tetea has consistently gone above and beyond the required activities to bring unity, compassion and outstanding service to our Corps and to the community. In addition to her regular duties as a Full Time AmeriCorps member at the Health Access Project, where she serves as a Case Manager for medically underserved individuals in our community who need specialized health care, Tetea also provides professional development trainings at Health Access Project staff meetings to increase the organizations overall effectiveness and professionalism. She was instrumental in procuring donations for their Open House in December, 2009.
Tetea has been a leader among our Corps and freely offers her assistance to other members who are pursuing their own professional and personal goals. She always performs her service with a smile and has been an example of all of the values our Corps has chosen to bring to our service this year: Commitment, Courage, Respect, Innovation, Empathy, and Joy.
When our program was affected by the death of one of our members, Tetea instantly stepped into a leadership role to help coordinate care and service to the family of the deceased. She spent countless hours assisting the family and coordinating meals, child care, applications for public assistance, transportation, and support for the surviving family members.
Tetea embodies the spirit of service and is an example and mentor to many of the members in our Corps. With people like Tetea in service to our community, positive change becomes a reality and others are inspired to try their own hand at making a difference and getting things done.
