Meet the Crew: Paddlefest volunteer award winners

Nicole Capella Voet, Dustin Voet, Eric Duvall, Steve Johnston, Bryan Hoffman, Marine Corps

This year's Ohio River Paddlefest was our most successful to date. We raised $135,000 to support our mission of connecting city teens with nature and each other through outdoor adventures!

Paddlefest is such a complex event that it simply wouldn't be possible without the support of nearly 300 volunteers who help the event run smoothly. At this year's volunteer appreciation night, we acknowledged the following volunteers for their contributions to Paddlefest 2023:

"Extra Mile": Nicole Capella Voet and Dustin Voet – Nicole runs our merch booth every year while her husband, Dustin (also an Adventure Crew advisor) managers the raffle booth, both of which had a great year of sales! They're so dedicated that they brought their little one with them on Friday until his grandparents could pick him up. “They come with great energy!” their nominator said.

"From the Heart": Eric Duval – Two different people nominated Eric for the award. Among their feedback was that “Eric is a newer volunteer who really embraced the mission. He is a great spokesperson for Paddlefest and Adventure Crew in the larger paddling community, too.”

"Steppin’ Up" (and rockin’ out): Steve Johnston – Steve and his band have played for free at Paddlefest for several years. This year, he stepped up in other ways, from helping with band selection and recruitment to becoming our new co-lead for the Paddlefest Midpoint stop/MINI finish at the Public Landing.

"New to Crew": Bryan Hoffman – Bryan’s nominator said it best: “Never having participated in Paddlefest, Bryan took a leadership role and provided many new insights into how support communications could be performed. He also brought in many new ham radio volunteers to help.”

"Dream Team": Marine Corps Communications Company, 14th Marine Regiment -- This group has been volunteering at Paddlefest for several years. This year, they were on site both days; their help with setup and rental boat unloading on Friday was particularly valuable.

Thanks to all of you who volunteered this year! To join their ranks, please complete our volunteer form. See you next year!