DAYTON DEANERY — Elizabeth’s New Life Center (ENLC), a pregnancy resource center, and five of its volunteers recently received Presidential Service Awards to honor demonstrated commitment and inspiration to volunteerism.

Volunteers Henry Cordonnier, Ken Knapke, Ann Moell, Colleen Tebbe and Marilyn Updyke were among 150 pregnancy center volunteers across the country awarded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for their volunteer efforts through Elizabeth’s New Life Center. Elizabeth’s New Life Center was one of 56 pregnancy centers honored. Cordonnier, Knapke, Moell and Tebbe received awards for their lifetime achievements, demonstrated by volunteering more than 4,000 accumulated hours. Updyke received a Silver Award, bestowed for volunteering at least 250 hours of service in a 12-month period. ENLC received an Agency Award.

COURTESY PHOTO

From left, Peggy Hartshorn, president of Heartbeat International; Karl Hart, ENLC board chairman; Dr. Ann Moell, physician and recipient of a lifetime achievement award, and Vivian Koob, ENLC executive director.

In 1983, Cordonnier and Knapke worked together with another individual to establish a pregnancy resource center in Sidney, which merged with ENLC in 2006 and became Women’s Center-Sidney. Moell helped start ENLC’s Holy Family Prenatal Care center and has been the primary provider of more than 12,700 prenatal visits for more than 800 patients. Tebbe helped implement the Earn While You Learn program for Women’s Center-Sidney. Updyke has been volunteering at ENLC’s Women’s Center-Dayton for more than eight years.

Elizabeth’s New Life Center provides pregnancy support through five women’s centers in Montgomery, Warren and Shelby counties, marriage education through its MarriageWorks! Ohio department, abstinence education to Montgomery County students and prenatal care to a low-income population through its Holy Family Prenatal Care (HFPC) center.