June 29, 2010

Dear Award Committee Members:

We have among our membership, someone who holds the Auxiliary near and dear to their heart, a person who has given hours of service to the Auxiliary at the state and national levels, a person who is deserving of special recognition. It is an honor and with great pleasure that I, along with the support of many others, nominate Renate Edstrom of the Colorado Branch Auxiliary for the National Auxiliary Distinguished Service Award.

Renate was elected to the office of Vice President on the National Auxiliary Executive Board at the 2005 National Convention in Puerto Rico. It soon became evident that she was a leader and devoted to giving her very best to the Auxiliary, and to supporting the National League of Postmasters. What a benefit to the Auxiliary – a quiet leader had emerged!

Serving four years as Vice President, one of which as Executive Vice President, Renate served on many committees at the national level. But there were two committees that Renate seemed to enjoy the most – the Ways and Means Committee and the First Timer Committee. She chaired the Ways and Means Committee for three years and did a fantastic job at raising funds. She possessed the rapport and knowledge needed to work with hotel catering to arrange two “Ice Breaker Events” and one “Super Bowl Party” at the League’s Legislative Forum. Every event was a success, and Renate’s outstanding work ethic is the reason for the success.

She was always thrilled to be able to recognize First Timers and did so with grace and sincerity. She always had a gift for the first timers, sometimes it was her personal contribution. Renate also devoted many hours to the League in assisting their committee with the First Timer event recognizing Postmasters at Forum. She helped with the pick-up, delivery, and preparation of food, and with room set-up and clean-up. I believe she did this for four years. What great representation of the Auxiliary supporting the League!

The 40th Anniversary of the Auxiliary was celebrated at the 2007 National Convention in Las Vegas. Renate had wonderful ideas to make it special. The Auxiliary Board approved her suggestion to provide each Postmaster on the convention floor a cookie. Researching companies in Las Vegas, Renate found the best pricing for the best cookie and placed the order. She had the Auxiliary Logo made into 40th Anniversary stickers which were placed on each cookie along with a note from the Auxiliary.

It is a given, that Renate would be a devoted and hard worker for the Colorado Branch Auxiliary as well. At the state level, she has worked tirelessly to support the joint conventions with Colorado and Wyoming. She has served in every office on the Colorado Auxiliary Board, organized the Auxiliary books, and seeks out new officers and members. These are sometimes difficult tasks, as we all know, and finding volunteers is not easy. But, as mentioned earlier, Renate holds the Auxiliary near and dear to her heart, works hard, and her enthusiasm spills over to others.

The examples given in this nomination only touch lightly the surface of Renate’s contributions. She is a leader, a friend to all, and highly deserving of the National Auxiliary’s Distinguished Service Award. It is with great pride that I submit this nomination on behalf of many.

Sincerely,

Charlene L. Wendt, President
National Postmasters Auxiliary to
The National League of Postmasters