ANNAPOLIS (April 28, 2008)—Kevin Cain, of St. Mary's County, has received a 2008 Governor's Volunteer Service Award for his work at the Oakville Elementary School. The presentation of awards took place at the 25th annual awards ceremony in Annapolis on April 22.
Cain was nominated because of his contribution to several environmental projects at the school which included planting more than 40 trees, bi-annual "clean-up days," and the creation of a rain garden. School officials say Cain is also a strong advocate for literacy projects. He regularly participates in the Dictionary Project which uses private funds to provide all third grade students with a dictionary.
"I want to congratulate these outstanding men and women for their accomplishments and service to our State," said Governor O'Malley in a prepared statement. "Since revolutionary times, Marylanders have always stood up to help their neighbors, and this tradition continues today. For their commitment to their communities, to Maryland, and to the common good, we owe these outstanding men and women a debt of gratitude."
According to data released by the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) over the course of calendar year 2006, 1.19 million Marylanders dedicated 166.5 million hours of volunteer service, totaling $3,125,205,000 of service to the state. This figure is based on the annual estimation of the dollar value of a volunteer hour by the group Independent Sector, which currently stands at $18.77.