Rachel Peterson - 2014 Awardee

Admissions, West Plains Campus

Rachel Peterson’s boundless energy and upbeat attitude are evident whether she is at work or volunteering.  Rachel has served as the volunteer Cheer Team coach for Grizzly Athletics for several years and she is on her church’s nursery board, but the volunteer role that this nomination focuses on is her service as a board member of the Boys and Girls Club of the Greater West Plains area. 

In 2009, a group of community leaders came together to raise the funds for a local Boys and Girls Club to provide a safe, fun and positive environment for children.  Rachel joined the board in spring 2012 just as the group started to move full steam ahead to make the dream a reality, with the club officially opening in May 2013.  Executive Director Dakota Crow said Rachel played several key roles:

• The organization was to move into its own building in September, but the facility needed work.  Rachel helped organize a work day with 25 volunteers. If not for this volunteer effort, they would not have moved in on time.
• Of the 14 outstanding staff members, 90 percent of them are MSU-WP students or alumni referred by Rachel.
• She has also coordinated a food drive and an arts and crafts drive for the club.
• She helped coordinate the cheer team portion of a basketball fundraiser that netted $3,000 for the organization. 

Dakota summed it up by saying, “Whenever we need her help, she is there”.  For these reasons, Rachel Peters is a recipient of the Staff Excellence in Community Service Award.