2020 Awards
2020 Awards
The Robert Gasiorowski Lifetime Award winner for 2020 is John Semchena
John started volunteering for us in 2013 by helping us with Dream Cruise parking and he has been doing it every year since. Since 2013, he has been involved in many of the Cummingston, Tenhave and arboretum work projects. In 2015, John received our Chinquapin award and in 2016, he received our Presidents award for work done that year. He became our Tenhave Woods steward in 2015 and Royal Oak Arboretum steward in 2018. He is in charge of our Fence Patrol & makes sure that fence breeches are repaired. Every summer, he has been a part of the Tuesday morning arboretum garden and maintenance crew. John has been an integral part of the Nature Society’s work in our three parks and with other Nature Society activities.
The President’s Award winner for 2020 is Vanessa Schultz
Vanessa first began volunteering for us in 2016, when she signed up to help us with Woodward Dream Cruise parking. She has helping us out with the parking ever since. Beginning in 2018, she volunteered to be on many of our work sessions. They would include removing tree limbs from trails, removing invasive species from the parks and helping us with Tenhave Fence Patrol. In 2020, she was put in charge of our arboretum garden and given the position of Chief Ecoscaper. Every Tuesday in late spring thru the end of summer, she heads a group that does the gardening in the arboretum. She is involved with the removing invasive species, planting and keeping the arboretum cleaned up. Last summer, she did a great job in making our Memorial & Butterfly Gardens more beautiful.
The Chinquapin Award winner for 2020 is Mike Frentz
Frentz Hardware located at Main & Gardenia in Royal Oak, has been a long time Nature Society supporter. Beginning in 2007, they have always donated something every year that we could use as an auction item for our annual April fundraiser. Frentz has often given the Nature Society discounts and have sold us at cost the fencing to make tree cages for the Arboretum.
Beginning in 2018, Mike has been in-charge of our annual fundraiser credit card transactions.