Jun 25, 2009
Minnesota Monthly honors MS Society volunteer in July issue
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| Wally Kirchoff |
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Wally Kirchoff — a longtime volunteer for the National MS Society, Minnesota Chapter and last year’s recipient of the Norman Cohn Hope Award — has been honored with a 2009 Heart of the Event Award from Minnesota Monthly magazine for his outstanding volunteer efforts on chapter events, which span more than two decades.
Kirchoff was honored at an awards banquet June 24 and is featured in the July issue of Minnesota Monthly as part of the 2009-10 Charitible Registry. The magazine’s Heart of the Event Awards are given each year to volunteers who go above and beyond in making non-profit events successful.
Kirchoff first volunteered for a National MS Society, Minnesota Chapter Bike MS event in 1986 — several years after his wife, Linda, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. More than 20 years later, Wally is a staple on the Bike MS series, which includes the Allianz Twin Cities Ride, Larkin Hoffman MS 150 Ride and Star Tribune TRAM Ride.
As lead volunteer of intersection safety teams, Kirchoff coordinates groups of volunteers who monitor Bike MS routes to ensure participants have a safe and enjoyable experience, from start to finish. Before the rides, he spends more than 60 hours recruiting and training volunteers, planning logistics and serving on the Bike MS Safety Committee. On the rides, Kirchoff works long days — rain or shine — that begin long before the first rider hits the trail and end long after the last rider finishes.
For Kirchoff, what started out as a fun way to support a cause that hit close to home has become more gratifying than he ever imagined. He is most well-known for expressing his gratitude every chance he gets, never missing a passing cyclist or walker. Volunteering, he says, gives him the chance to say thank-you to some very important people: the riders, for helping to raise funds to support MS research and programs for people with MS, his fellow volunteers, for helping to ensure the events run smoothly, and most importantly, to Linda, who Kirchoff calls his inspiration.
Click here to read about Wally in the July issue of Minnesota Monthly.