PITTSFIELD, Mass. The Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) of Berkshire County has announced that longtime volunteer, Bertha Lawrence, is the recipient of the group's inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award, designed to recognize extraordinary feats of service.

 

"Bertha Lawrence is a person whose empathy and commitment to service has enriched the lives of so many in the Berkshires," said Jeff Thompson, president of the RSVP Board. "She is really someone special and it's our pleasure to honor her many years of outstanding service with this new recognition."

 

For nearly 50 years, Lawrence has been an active volunteer in the community. RSVP Director Jeff Roucoulet recalled some of Lawrence's achievements over the years.

 

"Bertha started with RSVP in 1974, two years after its founding. She has logged in 5,461 volunteer hours over the decades, including 21 years with AARP's 55 Alive Program, an elder driver re-education program. She also served 18 years on the RSVP Board and was the co- recipient of our Volunteer of the Year Award in 2011. Bertha's contributions to this community over the years are an inspiration to us all. She not only enriched the numerous programs to which she was connected, she also impacted and inspired the people with whom she worked. We were all blessed to have her on board. Thank you, Bertha."

 

Lawrence, who is married to a career army officer, Lt. Col. Herbert Lawrence, lived in numerous places including Oklahoma, Texas, Germany, and Okinawa, Japan, before settling in Berkshire County in 1974.

 

She earned an associate's degree from Berkshire Community College and a master's from Antioch College. Lawrence joined Elder Services of Berkshire County as an area office supervisor and, prior to retiring, served as home care program manager, overseeing one of the agency's largest programs at the time.

 

In addition to her volunteer work with RSVP, Lawrence served two five-year terms as a trustee of Berkshire Community College, first appointed by Gov. Michael Dukakis, and later by Gov. Bill Weld. She also served as president of the Massachusetts Chapter of the PEO Sisterhood, a women's philanthropic and educational organization with members in the U.S. and Canada, and served on the boards of Elder Services and the Boys and Girls Club of the Berkshires.