Two Lawrence Memorial Hospital volunteers were recognized Thursday for their dedication to the community at the United Way of Douglas County’s annual meeting.

Reathyl Brummett, 87, and Justine Ahle, 17, were awarded the Wallace Galluzzi Outstanding Volunteer awards.

They were chosen from among the 18 adult and four youth volunteers who were nominated by community members or local nonprofit organizations for their “exemplary volunteer leadership and selfless service.” Everyone was recognized on stage at South Junior High School, representing organizations such as Kansas Audio-Reader Network, Habitat Re-Store and the Douglas County AIDS Project.

Tracie Massey-Howell, director of the Roger Hill Volunteer Center, and Marie Galluzzi-Potter, widow of Wallace Galluzzi, for whom the award is named, presented the awards.

Brummett began volunteering at the hospital 16 years ago. She began one week after she retired from her job at the hospital.

“Volunteering my time, any time, is to be helpful to someone else,” she said. “It doesn’t have to be noticeable or outstanding; it just helps someone.”

Allyson Leland, director of volunteer services at LMH, nominated Brummett.

“There’s no one like Reathyl,” she said. “She volunteers more hours year after year and she does it in a manner that’s helpful; everyone respects her.”

The youth winner, Ahle, a Free State High School senior, has volunteered the past four years through the hospital’s junior volunteer program. Recently, she has helped with the endowment association to raise funds for the hospital expansion.

Massey-Howell said this was the largest amount of youth nominations ever received.

“It’s great to see our youth reaching out into the community and being as recognized as the adults,” she said.

Volunteerism benefits everyone, Leland said. She said it provides purpose to the volunteer and provides the organization with people who “show up day in and day out who want to be there.”

The Wallace Galluzzi award was founded in 1985, when Galluzzi died. He came to Lawrence in 1963 to serve as president of Haskell University. He also served as the chairman of the United Way campaign and was active in leadership and service with several nonprofit agencies.