PLYMOUTH — The elegant Windsor Park Conference Center in Mishawaka was the setting for the 10th Annual Mich-iana 55 Plus Volunteer Awards Banquet held Tuesday evening.
Volunteers from across Michiana were honored for their selflessness and their commitment to helping others and their communities.  
Among those honored were three volunteers from Plymouth, William “Bill” Wallace was the winner of the “Community Volunteer Category,” Larry Norman “Education Certificate” winner and Mary Wood “Education Certificate” winner.

Wallace, after retiring from the Navy in 2003, moved to Plymouth, became a very active member with his church, Knights of Columbus, Plymouth Lions Club and the Marshall County Senior Life Enrichment Center.  Wallace oversees several activities at St. Michael’s Church Council and the Knights of Columbus.  As a Lions Club member, he is a trained leader for Operation Kid’s Sight. This program is a photo screening of the eyes of children ages 1 to 5 detecting and reporting problems to parents for correction at an early age.  Wallace spends 35 to 60 hours a week at Marshall County Life Enrichment Center, providing support for people with Medicare and Medicaid problems. He provides tax preparation services for seniors from February through mid April and serves as an umpire for junior high schools in the area.
Larry Norman has been a volunteer with Heart and Hands for over three years, teaching English classes to adult immigrants in the Marshall County area.  Norman is a farmer who divides his time between family, farming and helping at Heart and Hands. He teaches 16 hours a month, morning and evening classes. He is an enthusiastic volunteer, committed to helping students to improve their English writing, oral and listening skills.
Mary Wood dedicates two full days of her week to be at Heart and Hands. She teaches beginner English to people with limited or no English-speaking skills.  Eight hours per week are spent in the classroom and an unknown amount of planning time. In the seven years volunteering at Heart and Hands, it is estimated that Wood has work with more than 800 students.  
Marisa Cortes, education coordinator at Heart and Hands says, “Even though Mary does not speak Spanish, she is still the best person for the beginner’s class because of her enthusiasm and the encouragement she gives to her students.  Mary somehow has a gift of making each person she works with feel special and cheers them on to do their best.”
People from many different nations such as China, Rumania and Bulgaria, Viet-Nam, Korea, Mexico, Honduras, Dominican Republic, and Thailand have learned to get around in their new community, thanks to the English lessons they received from Wood, says Cortes.  She spends a considerable amount of time volunteering for other organizations such as the United Way of Marshall County and volunteers on several boards. Wood was nominated by Heart and Hands because she is a motivating example to others.