Debby Mullin, the president of Lincoln County TRIAD, a volunteer who has donated more than a thousand hours to local senior citizens organizations, has been honored with a special presidential award.
“While government can open more opportunities for us to serve our communities, it is up to each of us to seize those opportunities. Thank you for your devotion to service and for doing all you can do to shape a better tomorrow for our great Nation,” said the letter signed by President Barack Obama.
“Your volunteer service demonstrates the kind of commitment to your community that moves America a step closer to its great promise,” the presidential letter said.
Patty Ott, a representative of the Penquis Community Action Project in Rockland presented the award to Mullin at a recent holiday luncheon.
“We keep track of the hours our volunteers spend and try to recognize their efforts,” Ott said.
The award, called the president’s volunteer service award, is presented by the President’s council on service and civic participation.
It is designed to help encourage volunteers to help their neighbors.
The Boothbay Harbor retiree was surprised.
“I did not expect it and was impressed,” said Mullin.
Mullin is the leader of the Lincoln County TRIAD, a group that works with law enforcement and retirees to try to reduce crime committed on seniors and enhance the participation in law enforcement in senior activities. Focusing on unwarranted fears of crime, it helps to improve the quality of life for senior citizens.
Lincoln County Sheriff Todd Brackett praised Mullin for her volunteer efforts.
“She is a big help with the senior citizens. There are a lot of scams out there and she has informed us about a number of them. She is a good worker. We honored her last year,” Brackett said.
Ott cited Mullin’s involvement in programs that merited recognition including a cell phone bank, which collects old cell phones and provides them to deserving seniors, and a program where seniors were encouraged to turn in unused and outdated prescription medications to police, rather than dumping them in land fills and down the toilet.
Mullin said she has recently helped several seniors who were tricked by scammers seeking money and helped a quartet of elderly people who had trouble returning shoes to a store that had overcharged them for unneeded and expensive inserts and inner soles.
Many seniors are alone and lonely. When they get a phone call seeking money, or someone comes to the door, they have to understand the person is not always a good person.
“There are a lot of scams out there. They have to say ‘no,'” Mullin said.
