The Pat on the Back Award is named to honor Pat Shoemaker and to recognize other individuals who have given extraordinary, but often unsung volunteer time in caring for the community. A “pink lady” volunteer for the Boulder Community Hospital for 28 years, Pat also produced monthly original craft displays for the hospital. Pat was the Boulder Community Hospital Outstanding Volunteer of the Year in 1983 and was honored as the Colorado Auxilian of the year in 1984. She was a homemaker and the mother of two daughters, Linda Shoemaker of Boulder and Judy Miller of Tucson, Arizona.

Potential nominees should embody Pat’s dedication and caring. A $1,000 award will be presented to the honoree to be directed to the nonprofit of his or her choice.

The 2007 Pat on the Back Honoree:
Carlos Rodriguez

Carlos Rodriguez is definitely an unsung hero, although he humbly denies it. A recent immigrant and EMT from Mexico, Carlos is currently attending Front Range Community College to get his EMT credentials in the United States and will then continue his education to become a nurse.

Despite his busy schedule and challenging course work Carlos makes time to help others with an issue he knows is important and all too prevalent in Mexico and the US. Carlos volunteers for Safe Shelter of St. Vrain Valley translating their printed materials into Spanish, because he doesn’t want language barriers to get in the way of people finding help from domestic violence.

Teri Ebel, former Outreach Coordinator at Safe Shelter, says, “Carlos is deeply compassionate, articulate in two languages, generous of spirit, and always friendly and encouraging. He is a wonderful resource for Safe Shelter and an inspiring friend to me. He understands the issues surrounding domestic violence, has insight into cultural conundrums faced by recent immigrants, and is willing to help us with translations and educational outreach whenever we ask.”

Carlos breaks all sorts of stereotypes in a field where men are anomalies, translators make big bucks, and most people don’t want to even think about—let alone wrestle with the language surrounding—the topic of domestic violence.

School doesn’t leave Carlos much free time, but he says of his volunteer work, “It’s much better to be helping lots of people rather than sitting watching TV. I want to encourage people to support organizations working against domestic violence and to make their best effort against it. If somebody needs your help, be there ready to help.”