Volunteer of the Month - Presented by Kokatat

American Whitewater is pleased to announce the recipient of our March 2012 Volunteer of the Month award: Brandon Jett and Bethany Overfield!

Brandon and Bethany are both key members of the team that puts on the National Paddling Film Festival (NPFF) each year, an event that usually raises over $5,000 for AW's river stewardship work.

Allen Kirkwood, the President of the Bluegrass Wildwater Association (the American Whitewater Affiliate Club that puts on NPFF) had this to say about Brandon and Bethany:

I would like to nominate two of our members for co-volunteers of the month. One is Brandon Jett whose work as the NPFF director does not receive the accolades as it rightfully should. The success of the NPFF could not have happened without Brandon. From securing guest speakers to dealing with venue issues, etc., Brandon's work has been exceptional. A large portion of the Silent Auction items were due to Brandon's actions in contacting the donors. In addition to his work as the NPFF director, Brandon also has worked on several Red River cleanups and the most recent cleanup of our local Elkhorn Creek.

My other nominee is Bethany Overfield, who spent many hours working on the NPFF as the jack-of-all trades. From making sure the kitchen was running smoothly to organizing all of the many volunteers, she was everywhere. In addition to the BWA / NPFF work, she also volunteers for the Bluegrass Rape Crisis Center and the Kentucky Watershed Watch program. She is also very involved in river cleanups and was the lead organizer on this year's Elkhorn Creek cleanup.

Both Brandon and Bethany are very active in the BWA and are always ones that I can count on when volunteers are needed. They both are active supporters of the local Team River Runner chapter, the volunteer program that helps get our veterans involved in whitewater sports.

In recognition of their efforts, they will both be receiving a custom Kokatat OuterCore shirt. Thanks Brandon and Bethany!