Imagine hundreds of bandana-clad, mosquito-bite-covered Girl Scouts ensconced in nature at Hidden Valley Camp in the midst of the summer heat. Suddenly, there is a plumbing emergency. There’s water everywhere, except where you want it to be. It’s happened. And Kenny Johnson with Johnson Plumbing has volunteered his services, over and again, to come to the rescue.

“Plumbing problems are never planned and always seem to happen at inconvenient times. Kenny has come to our rescue on many occasions,” said Durand Reiber, Hidden Valley camp manager, who nominated Johnson for the United Way Roger Hill Volunteer Center’s Wallace Galluzzi Outstanding Volunteer of the Year Award. “He’s fixed leaking sinks and broken hydrants during the busy throes of day camp, when water needs are at an all-time high.”

Johnson knows he has a professional skill that can be costly for nonprofits like Hidden Valley to pay for, so he’s happy to do the work free of charge for the camp. And he urges others to do the same, using their professional abilities to support the work of a nonprofit they care deeply about.

“Everybody has their talent, and a place like Hidden Valley has so many needs, from electrical to plumbing to tree trimming to landscaping,” said Johnson, who also assisted the camp by reaching out to another plumber, Kyle Buerman of All-Star Plumbing, who donated an entire day of digging to locate a leaking pipe, lay a new line and install a new hydrant, all with donated materials.

Johnson doesn’t charge Hidden Valley a penny, but he says the payout for adding this client to his list is huge: “It just flat makes you feel good, knowing your skills are put to good use and somebody appreciates it,” he said.

“Volunteering is an excellent way to develop new skills and gain work experiences that can help you grow in your career or start a new one,” said out Shelly Hornbaker, coordinator of the United Way Roger Hill Volunteer Center. “You can use a volunteer opportunity to promote your business to new customers, bolster your resume so you are more attractive to employers and gain invaluable connections that can help with your career.”

Sadie Keller, a junior at Lawrence High School, has learned what it’s like to be an entrepreneur and a middle manager as the founder and first president of the Lawrence High School Habitat for Humanity Club. And she’s gaining a list of great skills she wants to put to work in her career some day.

Keller was captivated by Habitat’s mission to provide affordable housing for low-income people, and she wanted to be a part of supporting Habitat’s work in Lawrence. So one of the first acts of the newly minted LHS club was to create the Habitat Kickball Tournament, where student teams competed for bragging rights while entrance fees and sponsorships provided $1,300 in donations the club used to purchase outdoor sports equipment for the children of four Habitat homeowners. Keller’s work with Habitat prompted the organization to select her as its United Way Roger Hill Volunteer Center Wallace Galluzzi Outstanding Volunteer of the Year Award nominee.

The experience of organizing an event, Keller said, “taught me a lot about being a leader and being a follower, how to teach people while also learning.” It also flamed Keller’s interest in pursuing public service as a career. “My involvement in so many activities and volunteer work I’ve done made me realize I want to go into public service, like be a part of the city commission or run for mayor or be an executive director of a nonprofit.”

Johnson and Keller are among the more than 50 volunteers who were honored during the United Way Roger Hill Volunteer Center’s 2014 Celebration of Volunteers on Thursday.