Amid a crowd of Norwood High School students and booths offering local food specialties, Norwood’s Superintendent of Recreation, Jerry Miller, invited Bernice Wenstrom to join him on the Walter Dempsey gazebo on to receive the prestigious Anne Lydon Volunteer of the Year Award.
“There are so many people in town who will raise their hands and say, ‘What do you need?’” Miller remarked on Saturday, Sept. 17, before presenting the award at Norwood Day. “And today, we have one of them here.”
Miller highlighted Wenstrom’s incredible 60 years of volunteer service at Norwood Hospital, which began in 1949 when she started as a volunteer hostess. Over the decades, Wenstrom has contributed more than 20,000 hours of service. According to Miller, she embodies the spirit of a “true volunteer.”
In addition to her work at the hospital, Wenstrom dedicated 36 years to Meals on Wheels, making an “unbelievable” impact on the town, Miller added.
It was this remarkable dedication that led to Wenstrom being nominated and chosen as this year’s recipient of the Anne Lydon Volunteer of the Year Award.
The award, named in honor of the late Anne Lydon, who passed away in 2006, is given to a community member who exemplifies selflessness through volunteerism. Previous recipients include Anne Benson, Olga Abdallah, Martha Colamaria, and Dan Burns.
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(Originally published in the Norwood Bulletin)