Ann McCune couldn’t believe it’s been 20 years since she started volunteering for Eaton Clothing and Furniture Center in Charlotte. But, what really surprised her is that anyone would award her for it.
McCune was named the 2013 Volunteer of the Year by the Capital Area United Way on Tuesday, April 15 during the 2014 Awards and Volunteer Recognition Dinner at the Kellogg Center on the Campus of Michigan State University. McCune was among several nominees from the tri-county area up for the award.
“I’m not sure if I earned it,” McCune said with a laugh. “I was certainly surprised by the honor. I didn’t think with all of the others there that I would be picked.”
ECFC executive director, Diane Sowles, however understands exactly why McCune was selected.
“We calculated that in her years of service she has sorted more than 1,250,000 items for us,” Sowles said. “She’s just a fantastic volunteer and is so wonderful to have in the store. She never takes time off, works well with others and is a wonderful teacher to other volunteers that come in.”
McCune handles all of the incoming donations, sorting clothes, toys, household goods…anything donated to the Eaton Clothing and Furniture Center throughout the week.
“There is always something different,” McCune said of why she has enjoyed 20 years of volunteering. “I have a lot of nice bosses too and have met a lot of nice people that also volunteer.”
McCune is in the store three days a week and said she got started 20 years ago at the urging of her sister. She quickly found that she loved to volunteer her time to help others.
“I felt like I was really helping other people, so I kept at it,” McCune said. “Time has gone a lot faster than you’d think.”
