http://yankton.net/articles/2013/02/19/community/doc5122fed076bfe825484363.txt

A Distinctive Honor

Jane Pugh (pictured) and Judi O’Connell were honored with “Woman of Distinction” awards during an annual luncheon held at Mount Marty College’s Roncalli Center. (Kelly Hertz/P&D)

O’Connell, Pugh Win Annual Awards For Service

By Andrew Atwal
andrew.atwal@yankton.net

Women from Yankton were honored for their service to the community during the annual “Women of Distinction” luncheon held at Mount Marty College on Monday.

The program featured a keynote speech from Kristie VerMulm, who was born in South Dakota and now anchors television newscasts at KTIV in Sioux City for 17 years.

VerMulm spoke about the life lessons that people can take from a roll of South Dakota sod.

“The experiences we have, both good and bad, help shape who we are,” she said. “A roll of sod on the side of the road was a big deal for my family growing up. One day my brother wanted to go back and get the roll he saw on the road but my dad already got it. This made me realize that simple things bring joy to families.”

She connected this to volunteering, telling the audience at the Roncalli Center, that our actions can be simple but they can make a difference in the community.

“This event is great because it recognizes people that make a difference in their community,” she said. “All of the women here today have great talents and give up their time to the community. We need more people like that across the country.”

Some of the lessons that VerMulm spoke about including finding humor in your life, understanding the challenges other people might face in the future and to love the life you are living.

“Each of us has a life and a story to tell,” she said. “You’ll never know how many lives you’ve had an impact on, both positively and negatively.”

Their were 10 nominees this year for the Women of Distinction awards, including two who were nominated in both the Outstanding Community Service and Outstanding Professional categories.

Nominees in the outstanding professional category were Joan Neubauer, Judi O’Connell, Jane Pugh and Sister Margo Tschetter. Nominees for the outstanding community service award were Mary Fiedler, Dagmar Hoxsie, Jane Pugh, Joan Neubauer, Diana Roth and Leah Smith.

The winner for the outstanding professional award was Judi O’Connell, while the outstanding community service winner was Jane Pugh.

“I feel so honored to receive this award,” O’Connell said. “All of the nominees here are outstanding Yankton citizens.”

O’Connell founded Judi’s Dance Studio in Yankton and has been involved with Yankton Area Arts, the Dance Network of South Dakota and Beta Sigma Phi.

When Pugh found out about winning her award she said every woman in the room deserves the award, but was appreciative of the achievement.

“Both emotionally and in my heart I can’t tell how much this means to me to win the award,” she said. “I’m honored and humbled and really can’t put any words to it. This event is important because women need to be honored for what they do in the community, and often times that doesn’t happen.”

Pugh has been involved with the Susan G. Komen Foundation, the Yankton Contact Center and the Human Services Center Advisory Board.

She also noted her battle to overcome drug and alcohol problems more than 20 years ago.

“When I first found out about the nomination, I said ‘Wow,’ and wondered who nominated me and why,” she said. “But I have put in a lot of work in the 24 years I’ve lived in Yankton and felt that it’s what I needed to do to be a part of the community.”

Paula Tacke, who is on the Women Community Leaders Committee of the Yankton Chamber of Commerce, said there were a number of qualities that separated O’Connell and Pugh from other nominees.

“It was a tough decision because there were a lot of really good applicants,” Tacke said. “Judi (O’Connell) was nominated by her daughter, who put a lot of love and passion into her application and resume. Jane (Pugh) had obstacles she had to overcome, but when she did, she went full speed ahead with being involved in the community.”

Tacke added that O’Connell has impacted a lot of lives both within the dance community and with the other programs with which she’s involved.

“This year we had fewer nominees than we’ve had in years past, but the voting for winners was really tight,” she said. “We had tough decisions to make on nominees and winners.”

Carla Addy, committee chair, said this year her group wanted to bring more attention to each nominee.

“The volunteer work that each of these ladies perform daily is truly amazing and inspiring,” she said. “Each nominee provides so much value to the community because of their hard work, and yet their efforts are mostly ‘behind the scenes.’”

Addy added that she enjoys praising the work, dedication and the tenacity of each of the nominees.

“Choosing a winner in each category is a difficult process. The committee works in a democratic matter — each member has one vote — and each member relies solely on the information in the nomination form,” she said. “This event is truly about recognizing the achievements of all the nominees — not just the winners.”

You can follow Andrew Atwal on Twitter at twitter.com/andrewatwal