Like many people growing up in a military family, Allison Vance Moore ricocheted across the country and back and forth over the Atlantic Ocean.

Her childhood suitcase has stickers from Army posts in Germany, Pennsylvania, Oklahoma and Texas. So when she came to Lawrence in 1990 to attend Kansas University, she decided it was time to put down some roots.

Allison Vance Moore is the recipient of the Lawrence Chamber of Commerce's Wally Galluzzi Volunteer of the Year Award.

“Growing up and living on base, you feel kind of detached from the community,” Moore said. “I was really anxious to land in Lawrence and give back to the community.”

Now, Moore, 29, spends a lot of time giving back, volunteering for numerous community groups and helping the Lawrence Chamber of Commerce.

For her efforts, the chamber named her the winner of the Wally Galluzzi Volunteer of the Year Award for 2002.

Galluzzi was president of Haskell Indian Nations University from 1970 to 1981 and a former chamber board member. He also was a legendary volunteer who was always the first to help out when help was needed, said Cathy Lewis, who is director of programs for the chamber.

Moore fits that description, too, and that’s why she received the annual award, Lewis said.

“We have had some changes and challenges over the last year and she (Moore) has never wavered in her support of the Chamber,” Lewis said. “She is the first person to get new businesses to join the Chamber and get people involved, especially young people. She’s just great. Whenever we ask her to help us out, she always helps.”

Moore, a commercial real estate adviser for Grubb & Ellis/The Winbury Group, serves as chair of the Chamber’s Envoy Committee, which drums up support and publicity for new businesses. She said the group attends ribbon-cuttings and ground-breakings, usually attracting more than 35 people to each event.

“Our Envoy group is pretty dynamic,” she said.

She is a member of the Chamber’s Leadership Lawrence class, vice president of the board for the Douglas County American Heart Assn., board member for the Lawrence Schools Foundation and was co-chair of the small business division for the United Way of Douglas County’s 2001 fund-raising campaign. She also serves on the advisory board of Central National Bank.

Moore said she was shocked when she was told she won the Galluzzi award.

“It doesn’t feel like I should be deserving of this award. The Chamber makes the opportunities to volunteer so easy, and they are so appreciative,” Moore said. “I’m a little bit uncomfortable (receiving the award). I feel like there are so many other people better to be selected for this.”

She said volunteering gives her the opportunity to help the community and meet like-minded people.

“It’s the right thing to do. I really believe in my heart that I will be active in the community for as long as a I can,” she said.

Moore said she doesn’t “spend a lot of time on the negative or the petty. I just had an opportunity to help and be proactive in that time of change and help get the crowd moving in that direction.”

She said that although community factions are often at odds with one another over the city’s direction, Lawrence is a wonderful place.

“I think reaching consensus is the biggest challenge that we face. You can’t move forward without it.”