Robert “Sam” Kelley, a Peer Companion with Vet to Vet ME since 2017 and a member of the V2VME Board of Directors, received a Myra Kraft Community MVP Award at Gillette Stadium on June 8 and was presented with a $10,000 donation for Vet to Vet Maine.
Sam was one of 26 volunteers to be recognized for their contributions at the awards ceremony.
“Helping another Veteran as a Vet to Vet Maine volunteer is literally one of the best things I have ever done for my fellow man in my life,” Sam often says. He has visited three Veterans and is currently enjoying his time with a 96-year-old Veteran in Portland.
“I have been volunteering for most of the last 50 years,” said Kelley. “I believe every community needs lots of volunteers to be a great community. Volunteering is good for you. It strengthens my community all while promoting my own personal growth.”
“We are so proud of Sam and see him as a wonderful example of the amazing work all our volunteers are doing,” said V2VME executive director Susan Dudley Gold, who nominated Sam for the award. “We are most grateful to the Kraft family and the New England Patriots not only for supporting our organization with a much-needed donation but also for giving us this opportunity to recognize the important work that Sam and other volunteers do every day to make the lives of others better.”
Another longtime V2VME volunteer, Floyd Hastings, received the Myra Kraft MVP Award in 2016 for his volunteer work as a Peer Companion and was presented with $10,000 for Vet to Vet.