NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release: Sept. 29, 2023
Media Contact: Renee.Bade@labor.idaho.gov

Gov. Brad Little presented Eileen Twombly with a Governor’s Brightest Star Award for her volunteer service to Custer and Lemhi counties during a special Idaho Capital for a Day ceremony on Sept. 28.

“Idaho’s rural communities rely on volunteerism, and Twombly is an amazing example of the important role volunteers play in Idaho,” Gov. Little said.

Serve Idaho, the Governor’s Commission on Service and Volunteerism, gave Twombly the Idaho’s Brightest Star Award for her exemplary volunteer service. She has volunteered at the Mahoney House since 2018, assisting them with their mission, “to stop, prevent and heal the effects of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and dating violence in Lemhi and Custer counties.”

Twombly volunteers five days a week and six hours a day at the Mahoney House. She completes a variety of tasks, including organizing the office and even conducting community outreach. She also works alongside staff in partnership with local schools, teaching social and emotional skills to students. Lastly, Twombly, who is deaf and fluent in sign language, utilizes this opportunity to teach students sign language.

Johnna Baer, program specialist with the Mahoney House stated, “We have all felt honored to be around Eileen. It is a great privilege to get to work with her every day and learn about the culture of the deaf and hard-of-hearing community.”

Outside of the 30 hours she volunteers at the Mahoney House, Twombly also finds time to volunteer with Rags and Wags, a second-hand store in Salmon.

Idaho’s Brightest Star Award recognizes outstanding volunteers from across the state. This award is a partnership between the Governor’s Office, Serve Idaho and the Idaho Nonprofit Center.

In 2021, Idahoan’s contributed more than 38 million hours of service through organizations, with an estimated value of $990.9 million in support of the over 9,000 nonprofit organizations across the state.

To learn more about how you can give back to your community as a volunteer visit https://serve.idaho.gov/.

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In 2022, AmeriCorps committed more than $5.7 million to support Idaho communities through AmeriCorps initiatives. This federal investment leveraged more than $1.5 million in other resources to strengthen community impact, build local support and increase return on taxpayer dollars.

Serve Idaho is a division of the Idaho Department of Labor. The commission administers Idaho’s AmeriCorps programs. Serve Idaho is funded in part by the federal agency AmeriCorps and the Idaho Department of Labor.

More information about Serve Idaho and AmeriCorps service opportunities is at serveidaho.gov