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Patricia Messina and Betty Walowsky, both of Auburn, were presented with the awards at the Cayuga County Legislature's annual meeting at Emerson Park in recognition for the commitment to serving their community as volunteers.

After retiring from a 35-year teaching career in the Auburn Enlarged School District, Messina began a "whirlwind" of volunteer activities, Office for the Aging Director Brenda Wiemann said while presenting Messina's award.

Messina has volunteered at Owasco Elementary, with Habitat for Humanity, with her church, and as a board member of the Seymour Library and the Ward O'Hara Agricultural & Country Living Museum, and as a member of the city's Retired Senior Volunteer program where she has logged over 1,144 service hours in 14 years.

Similarly, Walowsky has participated in an array of community programs since retiring almost 20 years ago, Wiemann said, including at least 18 years of volunteering for the Red Cross through blood drives at Auburn United Methodist Church.

Walowsky also helps cook and pack hundreds of meals for the Salvation Army in Auburn, and is especially known for making pierogi at St. Nicholas Orthodox Church, in addition to volunteering with the Merry-Go-Round Playhouse, Wiemann said.

The awards for Messina and Walowsky joined two proclamations from the Legislature recognizing May as Senior Citizen's Month and May 28 as Senior Nutrition Program Volunteers Day.