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Rita marzocca
We are thrilled to honor Rita Marzocca as the 2025 Marilyn Murray Keenan Inspiration Award recipient. Rita began in the People Need Friends program in 2016, initially an occasional CARE volunteer. Rita has since retired from her full-time job and expanded her reach to spread love and laughter throughout the DPD at Walsh House, Gruenert Center and at the monthly CARE meetings. During 2024 alone, Rita volunteered over 60 hours, some of which was spent orienting other new volunteers. They certainly learned from the best!
DPD’s Director of Pastoral Care, Corinne Kilkeary, recalled getting to know Rita: The first time I met Rita was at the Gruenert Center, as I was learning some of the names and faces there. I classified her face in my mind as a “Gruenert Volunteer”. However, not long afterwards, I held a CARE meeting and saw this “Gruenert Volunteer” at CARE. My mind did a double take and it was all I could do to remember her name! Since then, I have realized that Rita, quietly and lovingly, gives her time to the clients of DPD wherever she is needed and we are so grateful that she does.
Rita spends quality time with our clients at Gruenert Center, giving them individualized attention, listening to a story or sharing one of her own, assisting with the lunch routine, painting in the ceramics room, and working with other volunteers to run the much-loved THURSDAY BINGO at the Center. Some words we would use to describe Rita include kind, compassionate, humble, interested, sweet, caring, helpful, easy going and supportive. Rita enjoys seeing all of our DPD clients gathered at the monthly CARE meetings as well as interacting with attendees from the community, their caretakers and staff, too! Rita, you have been providing help and creating hope within DPD for nine years, and many have been blessed because of your gift of friendship. Congratulations on receiving the Marilyn Murray Keenan Inspiration Award as DPD’s Volunteer of the Year. We look forward to many more years to come! God Bless You!