By Linda Delmonico-Prussen
Volk, 49, is coordinator of the Community Wellness Council of the Bellmores and Merricks, which sponsors the annual walk. She has, of course, done far more in that position than the walk, which itself is a massive undertaking that each year attracts hundreds of local residents.
Volk has lobbied vigorously for Nassau County's recent ban on smoking in restaurants and bars, an issue that she wrote about in an opinion piece to the Bellmore and Merrick Heralds last year.
She's organized community-wide forums to provide parents with the most up-to-date information about drugs and alcohol in the schools.
She's organized a smoking cessation program at Regina Residence, a home for teenage mothers at Cur of Ars Roman Catholic Church in Merrick.
And the list goes on.
Nassau County Legis. David Denenberg (D-Merrick) thought enough of all Volk's good works to nominate her recently as a Nassau County Women's Trailblazer of the Year, an honor that the county hands out during March, Women's History Month.
Denenberg said of his decision to nominate Volk, "I felt as if the
Trailblazer Award should most appropriately go to a person who has made the biggest difference to the community."
He describes Volk as a "working mother who is involved in so many aspects of community life." He added that the Wellness Council "has really come into its own. We need more people like" Volk.
Volk is humble about her nomination. "Honestly," she said, "I think that there are so many women who work very hard to juggle career and family who need to be recognized. Because I work for the Community Wellness Council, I have a high profile in the community. What we
do is publicized and recognizable. So many other women I know do amazing things and, in quiet, unassuming ways, are trailblazing... .
"I am fortunate," she said, "in that the work that I do at the Community Wellness Council provides me with an opportunity to make a difference. Many of the programs that we are working on address substance-abuse prevention by offering healthy alternatives and building resiliency."
Volk spoke of the council's efforts last year to develop walking clubs in local elementary schools. The PTAs joined in the undertaking, and more than 1,000 children took part in the clubs in 2002.
Walking, said Volk, is an excellent form of excerise for young people and helps them maintain a healthy weight and focus better in school.
Volk, who has called Merrick home for nine years, has been involved with the Community Wellness Council since its creation in 1995.
Volk was also recently honored with the American Cancer Society's National Smoke Out award for her work with the Tobacco Use Prevention and Control Advisory Board, as well as other efforts that have included organizing essay and art contests, as well as exercise programs among elementary, middle and high school students. Interestingly, Volk and her husband were once smokers. Volk quit cold turkey. Following her lead, her husband of 16 years, Larry, also dropped the habit within a month of her.
Volk was raised in Rockland County upstate and received her Bachelor of Arts in English language arts from Hunter College and her master's degree in higher education administration from New York University. She also holds teaching certification.
Before the Wellness Council, Volk's background had been in Youth at Risk Programs, and she had worked for the New York State Department of Education and the Liberty Partnership Program as an administrator. Volk said school "drop-out prevention was a passion
of mine."
She decided to get involved with the Wellness Council because it took a "community-wide approach to address substance abuse issues."
Joining with the council, she said, "made a lot of sense to me. As a parent of two young children, I have tremendous concerns." Volk has a daughter, Naomi, 11, and a son, Larsen, 8.
The council, she said, "combined my passions with my experience in community education. I'm lucky I found a position that I get to do both."
