The City of Bellevue hosted it's annual Volunteer Appreciation Dinner on Wednesday evening at the Beardmore Event Center of Bellevue. Bellevue is fortunate as community to have hundreds of volunteers that spend thousands of hours of their own time to serve on one or more of the city’s many boards and commissions that help Bellevue Grow and Prosper. This event gives City Council Members and City Officials the opportunity to thank these individuals that collectively serve on 21 different Boards, Committees and Commissions that help make Bellevue a great place to live, work and play.
Following an Invocation from Councilman Don Preister and a memorable edition of the National Anthem by Bellevue's own Jimmy Weber, Bellevue Mayor Rita Sanders, City Administrator Joe Magiamelli and City Council President John Hansen welcomed the volunteers and thanked them for their commitment to the Bellevue Community and the importance of their efforts. Jimmy Weber provided the entertainment for the evening with a series of songs and stories about his experiences in Bellevue and Offutt AFB.
At the end of the evening, Felix Ungerman from Nebraska Congressman Don Bacon’s Office presented a flag that had flown over the United States Capitol to Mayor Sanders and the City of Bellevue in honor of Nebraska’s Sesquicentennial. In a letter that was read by Mr. Ungerman, Congressman Bacon stated that, "throughout these 150 years, Bellevue has served a central role in the accomplishments and heritage we now enjoy as fellow Nebraskan's." Congressman Bacon's letter also closed by thanking the volunteers of the Bellevue Community by stating, "We are all so thankful for all they do to make Bellevue and the surrounding community better in so many ways.
Pictures of Mayor Sanders and representatives from the City Council posing with the volunteers in attendance are attached to this article.